10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Haggai, saying, 11 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Ask now the priests for a ruling:o 12 If a man carriesp consecrated meat in the hem of his garment, and his hem touches bread, or stew, or wine, or olive oil, or any kind of food, will it become holy?’ ” The priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from contact with a corpse touches any of these, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “Yes, it will be become unclean.” 14 And Haggai answered and said, “ ‘So it is with this people, and with this nation before me,’ ⌊declares⌋q Yahweh, ‘and so it is with every kind of work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. 15 But now, please ⌊consider⌋r from this day forward, before one stone was placed on another in the temple of Yahweh, 16 ⌊from that time when⌋s one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten, and when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures,t there were only twenty. 17 I struck you with blight, and with plant mildew, and hail, all the work of your hands. But ⌊you did not come back to me⌋,’u ⌊declares⌋v Yahweh. 18 ‘⌊Please consider⌋w from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was laid,x ⌊consider⌋:y 19 Is there still seed in the store chamber? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still produce nothing? From this day forward I will bless you.’ ”