I Will Curse Your Blessings

2 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. ² If you do ^(A)not listen, and if you do not set it upon your heart to give ^[a]honor to My name,” says Yahweh of hosts, “then I will send the ^(B)curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have ^(C)cursed them already because you are not setting it upon your heart. ³ Behold, I am going to ^(D)rebuke your seed, and I will ^(E)spread ^[b]refuse on your faces, the ^[c]refuse of your ^(F)feasts; and you will be taken away ^[d]with it. ⁴ Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, ^[e]that My ^(G)covenant may ^[f]continue with Levi,” says Yahweh of hosts. ⁵ “My covenant with him was one of life and ^(H)peace, and I gave them to him as something to be ^[g]feared; so he ^(I)feared Me and stood in ^[h]awe of My name. ^6 [i](J)Instruction of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked ^(K)with Me in peace and uprightness, and he ^(L)turned many back from iniquity. ⁷ For the lips of a priest should keep ^(M)knowledge, and ^[j]men should ^(N)seek ^[k]instruction from his mouth; for he is the ^(O)messenger of Yahweh of hosts. ⁸ But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to ^(P)stumble ^[l]by the instruction; you have ^[m](Q)corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of hosts. ⁹ “So ^(R)I also have made you despised and ^(S)low ^[n]before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing ^(T)partiality in the ^[o]instruction.

Judah Profaned Yahweh’s Sanctuary

¹⁰ “Do we not all have ^(U)one father? ^(V)Has not one God created us? Why do we deal ^(W)treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the ^(X)covenant of our fathers? ¹¹ Judah has dealt ^(Y)treacherously, and an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has ^(Z)profaned the sanctuary of Yahweh ^[p]which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. ¹² As for the man who does this, may ^(AA)Yahweh cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers or who ^(AB)presents ^[q]an offering to Yahweh of hosts.

¹³ “And this is a second thing you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with groaning because He ^(AC)no longer regards the ^[r]offering or receives it as acceptable from your hand. ¹⁴ But you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because Yahweh has been a witness between you and the ^(AD)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt ^(AE)treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. ^15 [s]But not one has ^(AF)done so, even one who has a remnant of the Spirit. And ^[t]what did that one do while he was seeking a ^(AG)godly seed? Be careful then to keep your spirit, and let no one deal ^(AH)treacherously against the wife of your youth. ¹⁶ For ^[u]I hate ^[v](AI)divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and ^[w]him who covers his garment with ^[x](AJ)wrong,” says Yahweh of hosts. “Be careful then to keep your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

¹⁷ You have ^(AK)wearied Yahweh with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “^(AL)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and He ^(AM)delights in them,” or, “^(AN)Where is the God of ^(AO)justice?”