12. If one bears holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt touches bread or pottage or wine, or oil or any food, shall it be made holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
13. Then Haggai said, If one that is unclean by a dead body touches any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
14. Then Haggai answered, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, said the Lord; and so is every work of their hands, and all that they offer here is unclean.
15. And now, I pray you, consider in your heart from this day forth, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord:
16. since these things were: when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the pressfat to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
17. I smote you with the east wind and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands, yet ye did not turn to me, said the Lord.
18. Consider now in your heart from this day forth, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, put your heart into it.