^2:11“The Lord who rules over all says, ‘Ask the priests about the law.¹⁸^2:12If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become holy?’ ”¹⁹ The priests answered, “It will not.” ^2:13Then Haggai asked, “If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body²⁰ comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”

^2:14Then Haggai responded, “ ‘The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,’²¹ says the Lord. ‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean.²²

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Footnotes

18 Heb “Ask the priests a torah, saying”; “concerning the law”; “for a decision”; “for a teaching”; “for a ruling.”
19 This is probably not an appeal to the Torah (i.e., the Pentateuch) as such but to a priestly ruling (known in postbiblical Judaism as a pésaq din). There is, however, a Mosaic law that provides the basis for the priestly ruling (Lev 6:27).
20 Heb “unclean of a person,” a euphemism for “unclean because of a dead person”; see Lev 21:11; Num 6:6. Cf. “unclean from contact with a corpse.”
21 Heb “so this people, and so this nation before me.” In this context “people” and “nation” refer to the same set of individuals; the repetition is emphatic. Cf. “this entire nation.”
22 The point here is that the Jews cannot be made holy by unholy fellowship with their pagan neighbors; instead, they and their worship will become corrupted by such associations.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’ ” The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If someone carries consecrated meat 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?’ ”

The priests answered, “No.”

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.”

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

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“This is what the Lord of Armies says: Ask the priests for a ruling. 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.”

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.”

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.

NLTNew Living Translation

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’ ”

The priests replied, “No.”

Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Ask now the priests for a ruling: If a man carries 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.” 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.” And Haggai answered and said, “ ‘So it is with this people, and with this nation before me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and so it is with every kind of work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

KJV 1900King James Version

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said,

So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord;

And so is every work of their hands;

And that which they offer there is unclean.

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