Loading…
1 A prophecy:a The wordb of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.a
2 “I have lovedc you,” says the Lord.
“But you ask,d ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,e 3 but Esau I have hated,f and I have turned his hill country into a wastelandg and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.h”
4 Edomi may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuildj the ruins.”
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.k They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.l 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Greatm is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’n
Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices
6 “A son honors his father,o and a slave his master.p If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respectq due me?” says the Lord Almighty.r
“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.
“But you ask,s ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
7 “By offering defiled foodt on my altar.
“But you ask,u ‘How have we defiled you?’
“By saying that the Lord’s tablev is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,w is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleasedx with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.y
9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offeringsz from your hands, will he accepta you?”—says the Lord Almighty.
10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,b so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleasedc with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will acceptd no offeringe from your hands. 11 My name will be greatf among the nations,g from where the sun rises to where it sets.h In every place incensei and pure offeringsj will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.
12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s tablek is defiled,’ and, ‘Its foodl is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’m and you sniff at it contemptuously,n” says the Lord Almighty.
“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,o should I accept them from your hands?”p says the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animalq to the Lord. For I am a great king,r” says the Lord Almighty,s “and my name is to be fearedt among the nations.u
|
About The New International VersionThe NIV is the world’s most read and trusted contemporary English Bible translation. It follows the principle of "dynamic equivalence" to ensure crystal clear understandable English. The NIV is the most readable English Bible ever produced. |
| Copyright |
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.™ Used by Permission. All rights reserved worldwide. “New International Version” and “NIV” are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. The NIV® text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page as follows: “Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.” The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ When quotations from the NIV® text are used by a local church in non-saleable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, overhead transparencies, or similar materials, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIV®) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other biblical reference work produced for commercial sale, that uses the NIV® text must obtain written permission for use of the NIV® text. Permission requests for commercial use within the USA and Canada that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by The Zondervan Corporation, 5300 Patterson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530, USA. www.Zondervan.com Permission requests for commercial use within the UK, EU and EFTA that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Hodder & Stoughton Limited, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, United Kingdom. www.Hodder.co.uk Permission requests for non-commercial use that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Biblica US, Inc., 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921, USA. www.Biblica.com Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this Bible are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of the Bible. |
| Support Info | niv2011 |