One of Our Greatest (and Healthiest) Fears

¹⁰In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, Yahweh’s word came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ¹¹“Yahweh of Armies says: Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, ¹²‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?’ ” The priests answered, “No.”

¹³Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”

¹⁴Then Haggai answered, “ ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before me,’ says Yahweh; ‘and so is every work of their hands. That which they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵Now, please consider from this day and backward, before a stone was laid on a stone in Yahweh’s temple. ¹⁶Through all that time, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty, there were only twenty. ¹⁷I struck you with blight, mildew, and hail in all the work of your hands; yet you didn’t turn to me,’ says Yahweh. ¹⁸‘Consider, please, from this day and backward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was laid, consider it. ¹⁹Is the seed yet in the barn? Yes, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree haven’t produced. From today I will bless you.’ ”