Haggai 2:13

Easy-to-Read Version

Then Haggai said, "Whoever touches a dead body will become unclean. Now if they touch anything else, will it also become unclean?" The priests answered, "Yes, it will become unclean."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?”

Hebrew Names Version
Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, will it be unclean?" The Kohanim answered, "It will be unclean."

King James Version (1611)
Then said Haggai, If one that is vncleane by a dead body, touch any of these, shal it be vncleane? and the priests answered and said, It shalbe vncleane.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
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."

New American Standard Bible
Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these things, will the latter become unclean?" And the priests answered, "It will become unclean."

New Century Version
Then Haggai said, "A person who touches a dead body will become unclean. If he touches any of these foods, will it become unclean, too?" The priests answered, "Yes, it would become unclean."

Amplified Bible
Then Haggai said, "If one who is [ceremonially] unclean because of [contact with] a corpse touches any of these [articles of food], will it be unclean?" And the priests answered, "It will be unclean." [Ceremonial uncleanness, like sin, is infectious.]

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sayde Haggai, If a polluted person touch any of these, shall it be vncleane? And the Priests answered, and sayd, It shalbe vncleane.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?" And the priests answered, "It will become unclean."

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?" And the priests answered, "It will become unclean."

Berean Standard Bible
So Haggai asked, "If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?" "Yes, it becomes defiled," the priests answered.

Contemporary English Version
Then Haggai said, "Suppose someone has touched a dead body and is considered unacceptable to worship God. If that person touches these foods, would they become unclean?" "Of course they would," the priests answered.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Hagai asked, "If someone who is unclean from having had contact with a corpse touches any of these [food items], will they become unclean?" The cohanim answered, "They become unclean."

Darby Translation
And Haggai said, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, is it become unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

George Lamsa Translation
Then said Haggai, If one who is unclean touches all these things, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

Good News Translation
Then Haggai asked, "Suppose someone is defiled because he has touched a dead body. If he then touches any of these foods, will that make them defiled too?" The priests answered, "Yes."

Lexham English Bible
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."

Literal Translation
And Haggai said, If the unclean of body touches these, is it unclean? And the priests answered and said, It is unclean.

American Standard Version
Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

Bible in Basic English
Then Haggai said, Will any of these be made unclean by the touch of one who is unclean through touching a dead body? And the priests answering said, It will be made unclean.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Haggeus sayd: If a polluted person touche any of these, shall he not be polluted? And the priestes aunswered, and saide, He shalbe polluted.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If a man should take holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and the skirt of his garment should touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

English Revised Version
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.

World English Bible
Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, will it be unclean?" The priests answered, "It will be unclean."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Aggei seide, If a man defoulid in soule touchith of alle these thingis, whether it schal be defoulid? And prestis answeriden, and seiden, It schal be defoulid.

Update Bible Version
Then Haggai said, If one that is unclean by reason of a dead body touches any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said Haggai, If [one that is] unclean by a dead body shall touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

New English Translation
Then Haggai asked, "If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?" The priests answered, "It will be unclean."

New King James Version
And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean."

New Living Translation
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."

New Life Bible
Then Haggai said, "If a man is unclean because he touched a dead body and touches any of these, will it become unclean?" And the religious leaders answered and said, "It will become unclean."

New Revised Standard
Then Haggai said, "If one who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered, "Yes, it becomes unclean."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Haggai, If one who is defiled for a dead person touch any of these, shall it be defiled? And the priests answered and said, It shall be defiled.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(2-14) And Aggeus said: If one that is unclean by occasion of a soul touch any of all these things, shall it be defiled? And the priests answered, and said: It shall be defiled.

Revised Standard Version
Then said Haggai, "If one who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered, "It does become unclean."

Young's Literal Translation
And Haggai saith, `If the unclean of body doth come against any of these, is it unclean?' And the priests answer and say, `It is unclean.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde Aggeus: Now yf one beynge defyled with a deed carcase, touch eny of the se: shall it also be vnclene?

THE MESSAGE
Then Haggai said, "How about someone who is contaminated by touching a corpse—if that person touches one of these foods, will it be contaminated?" The priests said, "Yes, it will be contaminated."

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ On the 24th day of the ninth month in the second year Darius was king of Persia, this message from the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: ¹¹ "The Lord All-Powerful commands you to ask the priests what the law says about these things: ¹² ‘Suppose a man carries some meat in the fold of his clothes. This meat is part of a sacrifice, so it is holy. If his clothes touch some bread, cooked food, wine, oil, or some other food, will the thing the clothes touch become holy?'" The priests answered, "No." ¹³ Then Haggai said, "Whoever touches a dead body will become unclean. Now if they touch anything else, will it also become unclean?" The priests answered, "Yes, it will become unclean." ¹⁴ Then Haggai said, "This is what the Lord God said: ‘This is also true for the people of this nation. They were not pure and holy before me. So anything they did with their hands and anything they offered at the altar became unclean. ¹⁵ "‘Think about what has happened to you. Think about how things were before you began working on the Lord 's Temple. ¹⁶ People wanted 20 measures of grain, but there were only 10 measures in the pile. People wanted to get 50 jars of wine from the wine vat, but there were only 20. ¹⁷ That was because I punished you. I sent the diseases that killed your plants and the hail that destroyed the things you made with your hands. I did this, but still you did not come to me.' This is what the Lord said. ¹⁸ "The Lord said, ‘Today is the 24th day of the ninth month. You have finished laying the foundation of the Lord 's Temple. So notice what happens from this day forward: ¹⁹ Your seed for planting is still in the barn. And look at the vines, the fig trees, and the pomegranate and olive trees. They have not yet produced any fruit. But beginning today, I will bless you.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 5:2, Numbers 5:3, Numbers 9:6-10, Numbers 19:11-22

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:2 - touch Leviticus 12:4 - General Leviticus 22:6 - General Numbers 19:22 - whatsoever Joshua 7:12 - they were Isaiah 52:11 - touch Titus 1:15 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 10:6
Ham's sons were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

Isaiah 11:11
At that time the Lord will again reach out and take his people who are left in countries like Assyria, North Egypt, South Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and other faraway countries around the world.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said Haggai,.... To the priests; having nothing to object to their answer; but being satisfied with it, he puts another question:

if [one that is] unclean by a dead body; by the touch of it,

Numbers 19:11:

touch any of these, shall it be unclean? that is, if such an impure person, who was so in a ceremonial sense, should touch any of the above things, bread, pottage, wine, or oil, or any meat, would not they become unclean thereby, and so not fit for use?

and the priests answered and said, it shall be unclean; which was rightly answered; for whatsoever such an unclean person touched was unclean, according to the law, Leviticus 19:22. Pollution is more easily and more extensively conveyed than holiness.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ask now the priests concerning the law - The priests answer rightly, that, by the law, insulated unholiness spread further than insulated holiness. The flesh of the sacrifice hallowed whatever it should touch, but not further; but the human being, who was defiled by touching a dead body, defiled all he might touch Numbers 19:22. Haggai does not apply the first part; namely, that the worship on the altar which they reared, while they neglected the building of the temple, did not hallow. The possession of a truly tiring does not counterbalance disobedience. Contrariwise, one defilement defiled the whole man and all which he touched, according to that James 2:10, “whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

In the application, the two melt into one, for the holy thing, namely, the altar which they raised out of fear on their return, so far from hallowing the land or people by the sacrifices offered thereon, was itself defiled. “This people” and “this nation” (not “My people”) since they in act disowned Him. “Whatever they offer there,” i. e., on that altar, instead of the temple which God commanded, is unclean, offending Him who gave all.