Zerubbabel

1And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

The seventh month came. The people of Israel were living in their towns. They all came together in Jerusalem, like one person.

2Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and the other priests stood up. Priests were men who led worship and gave gifts to God. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his helpers stood up too. They built an altar for the God of Israel. An altar is a stone table for offerings. They would burn animal gifts on it, just as the law of Moses said. Moses was a leader God had chosen long before.

3And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

They set the altar on its base where it belonged. They were afraid of the people living around them. Still they burned offerings to the LORD on the altar. They did this every morning and every evening.

4They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;

They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, just as the law said. That was a week when people lived in little shelters. It helped them remember their long journey through the desert. Each day they gave the right number of offerings.

5And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.

After that they gave the regular offerings each day. They also gave offerings at the start of each new month. They gave offerings at all the special holy feasts too. And they brought gifts they simply wanted to give.

6From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

They started giving offerings to the LORD on the first day of the seventh month. But the base of the temple had not been laid yet. The temple was the house built for worshiping God.

7They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

They paid money to the stone workers and the wood workers. They gave food, drink, and olive oil to the men of Sidon and Tyre. Those men brought cedar logs down from Lebanon. The logs came by sea to the town of Joppa. King Cyrus of Persia had given them permission to do this.

8Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD.

They had come back to God's house in Jerusalem. In the second month of the next year, the work began. Zerubbabel, Jeshua, the priests, the Levites, and all who came home started it. Levites were men who helped the priests with temple work. They chose Levites who were twenty years old or older. These men would watch over the building work.

9Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

So Jeshua worked with his sons and his brothers. Kadmiel and his sons worked with them. The sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers helped too. All of them were Levites. Together they watched over the workers on God's house.

10And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

The builders laid the base of the temple. Then the priests put on their special clothes and took up trumpets. The Levites, the sons of Asaph, took up cymbals. Cymbals are round metal plates you clap together. They all stood ready to praise the LORD. They did it the way King David had told them long ago.

11And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

They sang back and forth to each other, praising and thanking the LORD. They sang, "He is good. His faithful love for Israel lasts forever." Then all the people gave a huge shout of praise. They shouted because the base of the LORD's house was laid.

12But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

Many older priests, Levites, and family leaders had seen the first temple. When they saw this new base, they cried out loud. But many other people shouted with joy.

13So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

The noise was so loud that no one could tell the sounds apart. The happy shouts and the crying sounded like one big noise. People far away could hear it.

1Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

Some people nearby did not like Judah and Benjamin. They heard that the people who had come home from far away were building a temple. A temple is a special house for worship. This one was for the LORD, the God of Israel.

2Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

So they came to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the families. They said, "Let us build with you. We look for your God, just like you do. We have brought gifts to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here."

3But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel said no. They said, "You have no part in building a house for our God. We will build it ourselves for the LORD, the God of Israel. King Cyrus of Persia told us to do it."

4Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

So the people of that land tried to stop them. They made the people of Judah lose heart and feel afraid to build.

5And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

They paid officials to work against them and spoil their plans. They kept doing this all through the time of King Cyrus of Persia. It went on until Darius became king of Persia.

1Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

Two prophets spoke to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says. Their names were Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddo. They spoke in the name of the God of Israel.

2Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

So Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak got up. They began to build God's house in Jerusalem again. God's prophets were right there helping them.

1In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

Darius was the king. In his second year, on the first day of the sixth month, God spoke. He gave his message to Haggai, a prophet, someone who tells people what God says. The message was for Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor, the leader of Judah. It was also for Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, the chief priest.

2Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.

The LORD, who leads heaven's armies, said this. "These people say it is not yet time to build my house again."

3Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Then the LORD spoke again through Haggai the prophet. This is what he said.

4Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

"Is it time for you to live in your nice wooden houses? My house is still a pile of ruins."

5Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

So the LORD, who leads heaven's armies, says this. "Think carefully about how you are living."

6Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

"You plant many seeds, but you gather only a little food. You eat, but you are still hungry. You drink, but you are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but you never get warm. You earn money, and it slips through a bag full of holes."

7Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

The LORD, who leads heaven's armies, says it again. "Think carefully about how you are living."

8Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

"Go up into the hills. Bring back wood. Build my house. Then I will be happy with it, and people will honor me," says the LORD.

9Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

"You hoped for a big harvest. It turned out small. What you brought home, I blew away. Why? says the LORD, who leads heaven's armies. Because my house is still in ruins. Meanwhile each of you hurries to work on your own house."

10Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

"That is why the sky above you holds back its dew. That is why the ground holds back its crops."

11And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

"I called for a long time with no rain. It came on the fields and the hills. It came on the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil. It came on everything the ground grows. It came on people and on farm animals. It came on all the work your hands do."

12Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, listened. So did all the people who were left. They obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet. They knew the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed deep respect for the LORD.

13Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.

Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave the LORD's message to the people. He said, "I am with you," says the LORD.

14And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,

So the LORD stirred up the hearts of the people to work. He stirred up Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah. He stirred up Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest. He stirred up all the people who were left. They came and began working on the house of the LORD, who leads heaven's armies, their God.

15In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

This was on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. It was the second year that Darius was king.

1In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,

It was the twenty-first day of the seventh month. God gave a message to Haggai. Haggai was a prophet, someone who told people what God said.

2Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

God said, "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the ruler of Judah. Speak to Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, the chief priest. Speak to all the people who are left."

3Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?

"Ask them: Who here saw this house, God's temple, when it was grand long ago? How does it look to you now? Does it look like nothing next to that?"

4Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:

"But now be strong, Zerubbabel," says the LORD. "Be strong, Joshua the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land. Get to work. I am with you," says the LORD, the God who leads the armies of heaven.

5According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

"This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit is still here with you. Do not be afraid."

6For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

The LORD of heaven's armies says this: "In a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the sea and the dry land."

7And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

"I will shake all the nations. They will come and bring their treasures. I will fill this house with glory, my shining greatness," says the LORD of heaven's armies.

8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

"All the silver is mine. All the gold is mine," says the LORD of heaven's armies.

9The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

"Later, this house will be greater than it ever was before," says the LORD of heaven's armies. "And in this place I will give peace," says the LORD of heaven's armies.

20And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,

God gave Haggai one more message that same day, the twenty-fourth day of the month.

21Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

"Tell Zerubbabel, the ruler of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth."

22And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

"I will turn over the thrones of kings. I will break the power of other nations. I will turn over their chariots, the carts they ride in battle. Horses and riders will fall. Each one will die by his own brother's sword."

23In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

"On that day," says the LORD of heaven's armies, "I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like my signet ring. I have chosen you," says the LORD of heaven's armies.

6Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Then he said, "This is the LORD's message for Zerubbabel, the leader rebuilding God's temple. The work will not be done by armies. It will not be done by human strength. It will be done by my Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts, the God who rules over all."

7Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

"Who do you think you are, big mountain? In front of Zerubbabel you will become flat ground. He will bring out the top stone of the building. People will shout, 'Grace! Grace to it!'"

8Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Then the LORD's message came to me again. He said:

9The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

"Zerubbabel's hands laid the base of this temple. His hands will also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts sent me to you."

10For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

"Who has looked down on this small beginning? They will be glad when they see Zerubbabel holding the builder's plumb line. Those seven are the eyes of the LORD. They look all over the earth."