^12 (A)Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They ^(B)turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become ^(C)devoted for destruction.^[a] I will be with you no more, unless you destroy ^(D)the devoted things from among you.

^14 (A)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he ^(B)gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. ^(C)And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, ^(D)so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.

⁴⁵ Then ^(A)the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to ^(B)Hormah.

¹⁸ But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel ^(A)a thing for destruction and ^(B)bring trouble upon it.

²⁶ And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction^[a] like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, ^(A)for it is devoted to destruction.

¹³ Then Haggai said, ^(A)“If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body ^(B)touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” ¹⁴ Then Haggai answered and said, ^(C)“So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.