בַּשְּׁבִיעִי בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְּבַר־ה' בְּיַד־חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃

In the seventh month, Tishrei, on the twenty-first day of the month, almost a month after construction of the Temple began, the word of the Lord was through Haggai the prophet, saying:

אֱמָר־נָא אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שַׁלְתִּיאֵל פַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְאֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וְאֶל־שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם לֵאמֹר׃

Say now to Zerubavel son of She’altiel, governor of Judah, and to Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak, the High Priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:

מִי בָכֶם הַנִּשְׁאָר אֲשֶׁר רָאָה אֶת־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה בִּכְבוֹדוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן וּמָה אַתֶּם רֹאִים אֹתוֹ עַתָּה הֲלוֹא כָמֹהוּ כְּאַיִן בְּעֵינֵיכֶם

Who among you remains who saw this House in its original glory, before Jerusalem was destroyed? Some of those who returned to the Land of Israel had seen the First Temple as very young children. Such individuals would have been at least seventy years old at this time. And how do you see it now? Isn’t it like nothing in your eyes? What you are building appears small and insignificant in your eyes in comparison to the First Temple.

וְעַתָּה חֲזַק זְרֻבָּבֶל נְאֻם־ה' וַחֲזַק יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וַחֲזַק כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ נְאֻם־ה' וַעֲשׂוּ כִּי־אֲנִי אִתְּכֶם נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

Now, be strong, Zerubavel – the utterance of the Lord – and be strong, Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak, the High Priest; and be strong, all the people of the land – the utterance of the Lord – and act to complete the construction of the Temple, for I am with you – the utterance of the Lord of hosts.

אֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אִתְּכֶם בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וְרוּחִי עֹמֶדֶת בְּתוֹכְכֶם אַל־תִּירָאוּ

The matter, that is, the covenant, that I established with you when you emerged from Egypt remains intact, and My spirit remains in your midst; therefore, do not fear.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת עוֹד אַחַת מְעַט הִיא וַאֲנִי מַרְעִישׁ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת־הַיָּם וְאֶת־הֶחָרָבָה

For so said the Lord of hosts: Another one, another occurrence, will be coming soon; alternatively, it will last a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; revolutions will occur on a global scale.

וְהִרְעַשְׁתִּי אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם וּבָאוּ חֶמְדַּת כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם וּמִלֵּאתִי אֶת־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה כָּבוֹד אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

I will shake all the nations, and ultimately the treasures of all the nations will arrive; the nations will bring their treasures to the Temple. And I will fill this House with glory, said the Lord of hosts.

לִי הַכֶּסֶף וְלִי הַזָּהָב נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – and it is therefore fitting to bring them to the House of God.

גָּדוֹל יִהְיֶה כְּבוֹד הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה הָאַחֲרוֹן מִן־הָרִאשׁוֹן אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וּבַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֶתֵּן שָׁלוֹם נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

The glory of this latter House, the Second Temple, will be greater than that of the former, said the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will grant peace; this is the utterance of the Lord of hosts.

בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַתְּשִׁיעִי בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הָיָה דְּבַר־ה' בְּיַד־חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, Kislev, in the second year of the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord was with Haggai the prophet, saying:

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁאַל־נָא אֶת־הַכֹּהֲנִים תּוֹרָה לֵאמֹר

So said the Lord of hosts: Ask now Torah of the priests, saying. Traditionally, the priests were the guardians of knowledge of the Torah and its laws.

הֵן יִשָּׂא־אִישׁ בְּשַׂר־קֹדֶשׁ בִּכְנַף בִּגְדוֹ וְנָגַע בִּכְנָפוֹ אֶל־הַלֶּחֶם וְאֶל־הַנָּזִיד וְאֶל־הַיַּיִן וְאֶל־שֶׁמֶן וְאֶל כָּל־מַאֲכָל הֲיִקְדָּשׁ וַיַּעֲנוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא

If a man would carry consecrated meat in the corner of his garment, and he touched bread, or stew, a cooked dish of vegetables, or wine, or oil, or any food with his corner, will it become consecrated? Will the food become consecrated merely through contact with the hallowed meat? The priests answered and said: No. The sanctity does not transfer from one item to another through physical contact.

וַיֹּאמֶר חַגַּי אִם־יִגַּע טְמֵא־נֶפֶשׁ בְּכָל־אֵלֶּה הֲיִטְמָא וַיַּעֲנוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וַיֹּאמְרוּ יִטְמָא

Haggai said: If one who became impure by contact with a corpse would touch any of these, the bread, stew, wine, or oil, would it become impure? The priests answered and said: It would become impure, because a ritually impure item transmits impurity to other items. Therefore, while sanctity does not spread through contact, impurity can spread and defile other items. Therefore, one must exercise great caution in matters of ritual impurity.

וַיַּעַן חַגַּי וַיֹּאמֶר כֵּן הָעָם־הַזֶּה וְכֵן־הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה לְפָנַי נְאֻם־ה' וְכֵן כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם וַאֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ שָׁם טָמֵא הוּא

Haggai answered, and he said: Just as those items become impure, so is this people and so is this nation before Me – the utterance of the Lord – and so is all their handiwork; that which they present there is impure. Since impurity can be transmitted from one item to another, none of the people’s handiwork is pure. If holiness could spread in the same manner, one might expect that the Temple area would sanctify the entire people. In reality, though, it is specifically flaws that are easily spread; consequently, everything tends to become impure.

וְעַתָּה שִׂימוּ־נָא לְבַבְכֶם מִן־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וָמָעְלָה מִטֶּרֶם שׂוּם אֶבֶן אֶל־אֶבֶן בְּהֵיכַל ה'

Now, please direct your attention, from this day onward, take note of the processes that are unfolding before your eyes: Before, when stone upon stone was placed in the Sanctuary of the Lord,

מִהְיוֹתָם בָּא אֶל־עֲרֵמַת עֶשְׂרִים וְהָיְתָה עֲשָׂרָה בָּא אֶל־הַיֶּקֶב לַחְשֹׂף חֲמִשִּׁים פּוּרָה וְהָיְתָה עֶשְׂרִים

from, at a time, when one would come to a pile of produce that appeared to be of twenty measures, calculated in either se’a, ephah, or kur, and it was only ten; when they came to measure the heap, they found that it was only half of what they estimated. The crop dried, shriveled, or decreased for some other reason. Likewise, when one would come to the winepress to discover fifty measures, the amount of wine drawn through a single pressing, and they found that it was twenty.

הִכֵּיתִי אֶתְכֶם בַּשִּׁדָּפוֹן וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן וּבַבָּרָד אֵת כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם וְאֵין־אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי נְאֻם־ה'

Moreover, I struck you with blight, a loss of volume or weight in produce or some other entity, and with mildew, a disease that spoils the crops, and with hail, in all your handiwork; yet you are not with Me, turning to Me to save you from your distress – the utterance of the Lord.

שִׂימוּ־נָא לְבַבְכֶם מִן־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וָמָעְלָה מִיּוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַתְּשִׁיעִי לְמִן־הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר־יֻסַּד הֵיכַל־ה' שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם

This has been your condition until now, but please, direct your attention from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, Kislev, from the day that the Sanctuary of the Lord was founded; direct your attention:

הַעוֹד הַזֶּרַע בַּמְּגוּרָה וְעַד הַגֶּפֶן וְהַתְּאֵנָה וְהָרִמּוֹן וְעֵץ הַזַּיִת לֹא נָשָׂא מִן־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אֲבָרֵךְ

Is the seed still in the granary? Still the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate tree, and the olive tree have not yet produced fruit. However, from this day, the day that you started building the Temple, I will bless you.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' שֵׁנִית אֶל־חַגַּי בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Haggai a second time, on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, saying:

אֱמֹר אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל פַּחַת־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר אֲנִי מַרְעִישׁ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ

Say to Zerubavel governor of Judah, saying: I am shaking the heavens and the earth;

וְהָפַכְתִּי כִּסֵּא מַמְלָכוֹת וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּי חֹזֶק מַמְלְכוֹת הַגּוֹיִם וְהָפַכְתִּי מֶרְכָּבָה וְרֹכְבֶיהָ וְיָרְדוּ סוּסִים וְרֹכְבֵיהֶם אִישׁ בְּחֶרֶב אָחִיו

and I will overturn kings from the throne of their kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and I will overturn chariot and its rider; and horses and their riders will fall, each will be killed by the sword of the other.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־ה' צְבָאוֹת אֶקָּחֲךָ זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל עַבְדִּי נְאֻם־ה' וְשַׂמְתִּיךָ כַּחוֹתָם כִּי־בְךָ בָחַרְתִּי נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

On that day – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – I will take you, Zerubavel son of She’altiel My servant – the utterance of the Lord – and I will make you like a signet, a personal accessory always carried by its owner; for I have chosen you – the utterance of the Lord of hosts. God promises the final, eternal monarchy to Zerubavel and his descendants.