In languages that have a quotation formula at the end of verse 4, it may be necessary to reopen the quotation at the beginning of verse 5. This could be done with some such expression as “He continues thus….”

According to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt: The first part of this verse is an incomplete sentence in Hebrew. There is nothing in Hebrew corresponding to the words according to. The word for the promise is literally “word,” and is marked in Hebrew as a grammatical object, but there is no verb for it to be the object of. The Vulgate, the ancient Latin translation of the Bible, and the older Jewish commentators took it as the object of the verb “work” in verse 4. This view is supported by recent scholars such as Amsler and Meyers & Meyers, and indeed seems the least worst option, but it is not found in any available version. The Hebrew verb that Revised Standard Version translated made is literally “cut,” and is the verb commonly used in reference to making a covenant. In the present context, the reference is to the covenant made on Mount Sinai shortly after the people left Egypt. Translators who accept the interpretation found in the Vulgate may render this clause as “Carry out [or, Perform] the word of the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt.” The Revised Version marginal note suggests that the verb “remember” should be understood here. This would give reasonable sense in the context, but as Verhoef points out, the selection of this particular verb is arbitrary, and this solution to the problem cannot be recommended.

Good News Translation seems to understand the words according to in the same way as Revised Standard Version, but restructures the sentence to put the time clause “When you came out of Egypt” first. Good News Translation also makes it clear that it takes the promise to refer to the LORD’s continual presence (compare Exo 19.5; 29.45-46), and says “I promised that I would always be with you,” referring back to verse 4. New American Bible, New International Version, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh seem to reflect the same understanding. You may be rendered as “your ancestors” (Contemporary English Version), as Haggai’s audience was not present when the promise was given at the time the people left Egypt. A slight change may be made to the Good News Translation model as follows: “When your ancestors came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with them.”

The first part of this verse, down to … out of Egypt, is not found at all in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament. Some modern versions (Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible/Revised English Bible) follow the Greek here and omit these words altogether (compare Petersen). This possibility has advantages, in that the second half of the verse then flows on naturally from verse 4. However, it has no Hebrew textual support, and therefore translators are not recommended to omit the difficult words. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament retains them.

My Spirit abides among you: This literal rendering begins the second half of the verse. Here Spirit stands for the LORD himself (compare Micah 2.7; Zech 6.8; 7.12) and is so understood by Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente. Since the LORD is the speaker, the translation takes a first person form, “I am still with you” (Good News Translation). Other modern versions maintain a mention of the Spirit at this point (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Beck, New Living Translation, Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), and there is no objection to this. Some of the versions that use the word “spirit” spell it with a small “s” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version). But this distinction may be irrelevant in languages that do not use roman script.

Fear not: The verse ends with this advice given so often in the Scriptures (compare Isa 43.1, 5; Jer 1.8). Here fear refers not to reverence for God as in 1.12, but either to fear of failing to complete the Temple, or to fear of erecting a Temple that was not worthy to be compared with the earlier one. So in some languages translators must say something like “Do your work with confidence” or “Don’t worry” (Contemporary English Version).

A possible alternative translation model for this verse is:

• When your ancestors came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with them. So do your work with confidence, I am right here with you.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Haggai. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .