10In the four and
twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the
prophet, saying,  11Thus saith the LORD of
hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,  12If 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.  13Then 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.  14Then 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.  15And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a
stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:  16Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures,
there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there
were but twenty.  17I smote you with
blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith
the LORD.  18Consider now from this day
and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of
the LORD’s temple was laid, consider it.  19Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree,
and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. (Haggai
2:10-19, King James
Version)