| 1:1 |
AnA oraclepronouncement: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. |
| 1:2 |
“I have loved you,” says the Lord. ButYet you ask:, “How have Youyou loved us?” “Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” This is the Lord’s declaration. “Even so, I loved Jacob, |
| 1:4 |
Though Edom says:, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of HostsArmies says this: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country and the people the Lord has cursed forever. |
| 1:6 |
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is Mymy honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Meme? says Yahwehthe Lord of HostsArmies to you priests, who despise Mymy name.” Yet you ask:, “How have we despised Youryour name?” |
| 1:7 |
“By presenting defiled food on Mymy altar.” You ask: “How have we defiled Youyou?” you ask. When you say:, “The Lord’s table is contemptible.” |
| 1:8 |
“When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 1:9 |
“And now askplead for God’s favor. Will Hehe be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will Hehe show any of you favor?” asks the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 1:10 |
“I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle a useless fire on Mymy altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of HostsArmies, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. |
| 1:11 |
“For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in Mymy name in every place because Mymy name will be great among the nations,” says Yahwehthe Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 1:12 |
“But you are profaning it when you say:, “‘The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.”.’ |
| 1:13 |
You also say:, “‘Look, what a nuisance!”! “’ And you scorn it,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. “You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?” asks the Lord. |
| 1:14 |
“The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says Yahwehthe Lord of HostsArmies, “and Mymy name will be feared among the nations. |
| 2:2 |
If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart to honor Mymy name,” says Yahwehthe Lord of HostsArmies, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart. |
| 2:4 |
Then you will know that I sent you this decree, so Mythat my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 2:5 |
“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Meme and stood in awe of Mymy name. |
| 2:6 |
True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with Meme in peace and fairnessintegrity and turned many from sininiquity. |
| 2:7 |
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seekdesire instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 2:8 |
“You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 2:9 |
“So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping Mymy ways but are showing partiality in your instruction.” |
| 2:10 |
Don’t all of us have one Father? Didn’t one God create us? Why then do we act treacherously against one another, profaning the covenant of our fathersancestors? |
| 2:11 |
Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable thingact has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the Lord’s sanctuary, which Hehe loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. |
| 2:12 |
ToMay the man who does this, may the Lord cut off any descendants from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, whoever he may be, even if theyhe presentpresents an offering to the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 2:13 |
AndThis this is another thing you do:. youYou coverare covering the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because Hehe no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. |
| 2:14 |
YetAnd you ask, “For what reasonWhy?” Because even though the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth., Youyou have acted treacherously against her,. thoughShe she was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant. |
| 2:15 |
Didn’t theGod make them one Godand makegive usthem with a remnantportion of His life-breathspirit? AndWhat whatis does the Oneone seekseeking? AGodly godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, andso dothat notno actone acts treacherously against the wife of yourhis youth. |
| 2:16 |
“If he hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously. |
| 2:17 |
You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you ask, “How have we wearied Himhim?” When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and Hehe is pleaseddelighted with them,”, or “Whereelse where is the God of justice?” |
| 3:1 |
“See, I am going to send Mymy messenger, and he will clear the way before Meme. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to Hishis temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desiredelight in — see, Hehe is coming,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 3:2 |
But who can endure the day of Hishis coming? And who will be able to stand when Hehe appears? For Hehe will be like a refiner’s fire and like cleansinglaunderer’s lyebleach. |
| 3:3 |
He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; Hehe will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. |
| 3:5 |
“I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widowhired andworker, the fatherlesswidow, and cheat the wage earnerfatherless; and against those who deny justice to the foreignerresident alien. They do not fear Meme,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 3:6 |
“Because I, Yahwehthe Lord, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. |
| 3:7 |
“Since the days of your fathersancestors, you have turned from Mymy statutes; you have not kept them. Return to Meme, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. ButYet you ask:, “How can we return?” |
| 3:8 |
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Meme!” You ask: “How do we rob Youyou?” you ask. “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. |
| 3:9 |
You are suffering under a curse, yet you — the whole nation — are still robbing Meme. |
| 3:10 |
Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in Mymy house. Test Meme in this way,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. |
| 3:11 |
I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 3:12 |
“Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 3:13 |
“Your words against Meme are harsh,” says the Lord. Yet you ask:, “What have we spoken against Youyou?” |
| 3:14 |
You have said:, “It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping Hishis requirements and walking mournfully before the Lord of HostsArmies? |
| 3:16 |
At that time those who feared the Lord spoke to one another. The Lord took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance was written before Himhim for those who feared Yahwehthe Lord and had high regard for Hishis name. |
| 3:17 |
“They will be Minemine,” says the Lord of HostsArmies, “amy specialown possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. |
| 3:18 |
So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Himhim. |
| 4:1 |
“For indeedlook, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says the Lord of HostsArmies, “not leaving them root or branches. |
| 4:2 |
But for you who fear Mymy name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall. |
| 4:3 |
You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the Lord of HostsArmies. |
| 4:4 |
“Remember the instruction of Moses Mymy servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. |
| 4:5 |
Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet Elijah before the great and awesometerrible Dayday of the Lord comes. |