Haggai 2

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[6][lower-alpha 1] Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q77 (4QXII^b; 150–125 BCE) with extant verses 2–4;[8][9][10] 4Q80 (4QXII^e; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 1–2;[8][9][11] and Wadi Murabba'at Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75-100 CE) with extant verses 1–9, 11, 13–24.[9][12]

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).[13]

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying:[15]

The date is October 17, 520 BC in current calendar calculation. In the ancient Jewish calendar this day was the last day of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles; see Leviticus 23:33-44).[16]

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,[17]

The date is December 24, 520 BCE in Julian calendar; or December 18, 520 BCE in Gregorian calendar calculation.[16]

[Haggai asked:] "'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'"

The priests answered and said, "No."[18]

Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?"

The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean."[19]

′Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid—consider it:[20]

The texts from other ancient Near-Eastern cultures mention a ritual (kalû) for the 'rededication of destroyed sanctuaries', during which ('this day'; cf. verses 15, 18) a 'foundation stone' was placed in the building that was purified or rededicated (cf. Zechariah 4:9; Ezra 3:10–11).[14]

Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.′″[21]

• "Barn" from Hebrew: megūrâh (same as mammegūrâh in Joel 1:17), a "granary", from the word gūr.[22]

The King James Version of verses 6–7 from this chapter are cited as texts in the English-language oratorio "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel (HWV 56).[24]