9. “The final glory of this house will be greater than the first,” says the Lord of Hosts. “I will provide peace in this place” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
10. On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet:
11. “This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Ask the priests for a ruling.
12. If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy? ” The priests answered, “No.”
13. Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled? ” The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”
14. Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.
15. “Now, reflect back from this day: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple,
16. what state were you in? When someone came to a grain heap of 20 measures, it only amounted to 10; when one came to the winepress to dip 50 measures from the vat, it only amounted to 20.
17. I struck you — all the work of your hands — with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn’t turn to Me” — this is the Lord’s declaration.
18. “Consider carefully from this day forward; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; consider it carefully.