| 1:1 |
An oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. |
A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. |
| 1:2 |
I have loved you, says the Lord. But you ask, How have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacobs brother? the Lord says. Yet I have loved Jacob, |
I have loved you, says the Lord. But you ask, How have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacobs brother? declares the Lord. Yet I have loved Jacob, |
| 1:3 |
but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals. |
but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals. |
| 1:6 |
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord Almighty. It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. But you ask, How have we shown contempt for your name? |
A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord Almighty. It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, How have we shown contempt for your name? |
| 1:7 |
You place defiled food on my altar. But you ask, How have we defiled you? By saying that the Lords table is contemptible. |
By offering defiled food on my altar. But you ask, How have we defiled you? By saying that the Lords table is contemptible. |
| 1:8 |
When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty. |
When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty. |
| 1:9 |
Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?—says the Lord Almighty. |
Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?—says the Lord Almighty. |
| 1:11 |
My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty. |
My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty. |
| 1:12 |
But you profane it by saying of the Lords table, It is defiled, and of its food, It is contemptible. |
But you profane it by saying, The Lords table is defiled, and, Its food is contemptible. |
| 1:13 |
And you say, What a burden! and you sniff at it contemptuously, says the Lord Almighty. When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands? says the Lord. |
And you say, What a burden! and you sniff at it contemptuously, says the Lord Almighty. When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands? says the Lord. |
| 2:1 |
And now this admonition is for you, O priests. |
And now, you priests, this warning is for you. |
| 2:2 |
If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. |
If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. |
| 2:3 |
Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. |
Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. |
| 2:4 |
And you will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue, says the Lord Almighty. |
And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue, says the Lord Almighty. |
| 2:7 |
For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty. |
For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. |
| 2:10 |
Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another? |
Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? |
| 2:11 |
Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. |
Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. |
| 2:12 |
As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord cut him off from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings offerings to the Lord Almighty. |
As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the Lord Almighty. |
| 2:13 |
Another thing you do: You flood the Lords altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. |
Another thing you do: You flood the Lords altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. |
| 2:14 |
You ask, Why? It is because the Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. |
You ask, Why? It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. |
| 2:15 |
Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. |
Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. |
| 2:16 |
I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel, and I hate a mans covering himself with violence as well as with his garment, says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. |
The man who hates and divorces his wife, says the Lord, the God of Israel, does violence to the one he should protect, says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. |
| 3:1 |
See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty. |
I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty. |
| 3:5 |
So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me, says the Lord Almighty. |
So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me, says the Lord Almighty. |
| 3:6 |
I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. |
I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. |
| 3:7 |
Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, How are we to return? |
Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, How are we to return? |
| 3:8 |
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. |
Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, How are we robbing you? In tithes and offerings. |
| 3:9 |
You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. |
You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. |
| 3:10 |
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. |
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. |
| 3:11 |
I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit, says the Lord Almighty. |
I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, says the Lord Almighty. |
| 3:13 |
You have said harsh things against me, says the Lord. Yet you ask, What have we said against you? |
You have spoken arrogantly against me, says the Lord. Yet you ask, What have we said against you? |
| 3:14 |
You have said, It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? |
You have said, It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? |
| 3:15 |
But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape. |
But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it. |
| 3:17 |
They will be mine, says the Lord Almighty, in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. |
On the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty, they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. |
| 4:1 |
Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. |
Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. |
| 4:2 |
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. |
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well fed calves. |
| 4:3 |
Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things, says the Lord Almighty. |
Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty. |
| 4:5 |
See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. |
See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. |
| 4:6 |
He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse. |
He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction. |