Haggai 1:9

1:9 ‘You expected a large harvest, but instead 1  there was little, and when you brought it home it disappeared right away. 2  Why?’ asks the Lord who rules over all. ‘Because my temple remains in ruins, thanks to each of you favoring his own house! 3 

Haggai 1:14

1:14 So the Lord energized and encouraged 4  Zerubbabel 5  son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, 6  and the whole remnant of the people. 7  They came and worked on the temple of their God, the Lord who rules over all.

Haggai 2:4

2:4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and 8  all you citizens of the land,’ 9  says the Lord, ‘and begin to work. For I am with you,’ says the Lord who rules over all.

1 tn Heb “look!” (הִנֵּה, hinneh). The term, an interjection, draws attention to the point being made.

2 tn Heb “I blew it away” (so NRSV, TEV, NLT). The imagery here suggests that human achievements are so fragile and temporal that a mere breath from God can destroy them (see Ezek 22:20, 21; and Isa 40:7 with נָשַׁב, nashav).

3 tn Heb “and each of you runs to his own house”; NIV “is busy with”; TEV “is busy working on”; NCV “work hard for.”

4 tn Heb “stirred up” (as in many English versions). Only one verb appears in the Hebrew text, but the translation “energized and encouraged” brings out its sense in this context. Cf. TEV “inspired”; NLT “sparked the enthusiasm of”; CEV “made everyone eager to work.”

sn It was God who initiated the rebuilding by providing the people with motivation and ability.

5 tn Heb “the spirit of Zerubbabel” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

6 tn Heb “the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (as in many English versions), but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.

7 tn Heb “and the spirit of all the remnant of the people.” The Hebrew phrase שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם (shÿ’erit ha’am) in this postexilic context is used as a technical term to refer to the returned remnant; see the note on the phrase “the whole remnant of the people” in v. 12.

8 tn Heb “and take heart.” Although emphatic, the repetition of the verb is redundant in contemporary English style and has been left untranslated.

9 tn Heb “the people of the land” (עַם הָאָרֶץ, ’am ha’arets); this is a technical term referring to free citizens as opposed to slaves.