Malachi 1–2

The Lord’s Love for Israel

1An oracle: ^aThe word of the Lord ^bto Israel through ^cMalachi. ^d

²“I have loved you,” ^esays the Lord.

But you ask: “How have You loved us?”

“Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” ^fThis is the Lord’s declaration. “Even so, I loved Jacob, ³but I hated Esau. ^gI turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave his inheritance to the desert jackals.” ^h

⁴Though Edom says: “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild ⁱthe ruins,” the Lord of Hosts says this: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country ^jand the people the Lord has cursed ^kforever. ^l5Your own eyes will see this, and you yourselves will say, ‘The Lord is great, even beyond ^mthe borders of Israel.’ ⁿ

Disobedience of the Priests

⁶“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me? ^osays Yahweh of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name.”

Yet you ask: “How have we despised Your name?”

⁷“By presenting defiled food on My altar.”

You ask: “How have we defiled You?” ^p

When you say: “The Lord’s table is contemptible.” ^q

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? ^rBring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Hosts. ⁹“And now ask for God’s favor. Will He be gracious to us? ^sSince this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?” ^tasks the Lord of Hosts. ¹⁰“I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, ^uso you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar! ^vI am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Hosts, “and I will accept ^wno offering from your hands. ^x

¹¹“For My name will be great among the nations, ^yfrom the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense ^zand pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations,” ^asays Yahweh of Hosts.

¹²But you are profaning it ^bwhen you say: “The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.” ¹³You also say: “Look, what a nuisance!” “And you scorn ^cit,” ^desays the Lord of Hosts. “You bring stolen, ^fglame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?” asks the Lord.

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. ^hFor I am a great King,” says Yahweh of Hosts, “and My name ⁱwill be feared among the nations.

Warning to the Priests

2“Therefore, this decree ^jis for you priests: ²If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart ^kto honor My name,” says Yahweh of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. ^lIn fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.

³“Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, ^mand I will spread animal waste ⁿover your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, ^oand you will be taken away with it. ⁴Then you will know that I sent you this decree so My covenant with Levi ^pmay continue,” says the Lord of Hosts. ⁵“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, ^qand I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. ^r6True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with Me ^sin peace and fairness and turned many from sin. ^t7For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. ^u

⁸“You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. ^vYou have caused many to stumble ^wby your instruction. You have violated ^xthe covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of Hosts. ⁹“So I in turn have made you despised ^yand humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in your instruction.” ^z

Judah’s Marital Unfaithfulness

¹⁰Don’t all of us have one Father? ^aDidn’t one God create us? ^bWhy then do we act treacherously against one another, ^cprofaning ^dthe covenant of our fathers? ^e11Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable ^fthing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned ^gthe Lord’s sanctuary, ^hiwhich He loves, ^jand has married the daughter of a foreign god. ^kl12To the man who does this, may the Lord cut off ^many descendants ^nopfrom the tents of Jacob, even if they present an offering to the Lord of Hosts.

¹³And this is another thing you do: you cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, ^qbecause He no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. ^r

¹⁴Yet you ask, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been a witness ^sbetween you and the wife of your youth. ^tYou have acted treacherously against her, though she was your marriage partner ^uand your wife by covenant. ^v15Didn’t the one God make us with a remnant of His life-breath? And what does the One seek? ^wA godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, ^xyand do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth.

¹⁶“If he hates ^zand divorces his wife, ^a” says the Lord God of Israel, “he ^bcovers his garment with injustice,” ^csays the Lord of Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, ^dand do not act treacherously.

Judgment at the Lord’s Coming

¹⁷You have wearied the Lord ^ewith your words.

Yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?”

When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and He is pleased with them,” ^for “Where is the God of justice?” ^g