Add parallel Print Page Options

A Rebuke and a Promise

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai, saying: 11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests for a ruling:(A) 12 If one carries consecrated meat in the fold of one’s garment and with the fold touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy?” The priests answered, “No.”(B) 13 Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered, “Yes, it becomes unclean.”(C) 14 Haggai then said, “So is it with this people and with this nation before me, says the Lord, and so with every work of their hands; what they offer there is unclean.(D) 15 But now, consider what will come to pass from this day on. Before a stone was placed upon a stone in the Lord’s temple,(E) 16 how did you fare?[a] When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.(F) 17 I struck you and every work of your hands with blight and mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.(G) 18 Consider from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider:(H) 19 Is there any seed left in the barn? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still yield nothing? From this day on I will bless you.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2.16 Gk: Heb since they were

Blessings for a Defiled People

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,(A) in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests(B) what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meat(C) in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?(D)’”

The priests answered, “No.”

13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.(E)

14 Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people(F) and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer(G) there is defiled.

15 “‘Now give careful thought(H) to this from this day on[a]—consider how things were before one stone was laid(I) on another in the Lord’s temple.(J) 16 When anyone came to a heap(K) of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat(L) to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.(M) 17 I struck all the work of your hands(N) with blight,(O) mildew and hail,(P) yet you did not return(Q) to me,’ declares the Lord.(R) 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought(S) to the day when the foundation(T) of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate(U) and the olive tree have not borne fruit.(V)

“‘From this day on I will bless(W) you.’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Haggai 2:15 Or to the days past