祭司们啊,这诫命是传给你们的。 万军之耶和华说:“如果你们不听从我的话,也不从内心尊崇我的名,我必使咒诅临到你们,把你们的福气变成咒诅。事实上,因为你们不把我的诫命放在心上,我已经咒诅了你们。 我必斥责你们的子孙,把你们祭牲的粪便抹在你们脸上,又把你们和粪便一同丢掉, 你们便知道我这样告诫你们,是为了维持我与你们祖先利未所立的约。这是万军之耶和华说的。 我与他所立的是生命和平安之约,我将生命和平安赐给他,使他心存敬畏。他就尊崇我,敬畏我的名。 他口中教导真理,嘴里毫无诡诈。他与我同行,过着平安正直的生活,并引导许多人远离罪恶。 祭司的嘴唇应持守知识,人民应从他口中寻求训诲,因为他是万军之耶和华的使者。 然而,你们却偏离正道,你们的教导使许多人跌倒,破坏了我和利未所立的约。”这是万军之耶和华说的。 “因此,我必使你们在众人面前遭藐视、轻贱。因为你们不遵守我的道,在教导上偏心待人。”

10 难道我们不是出于同一位父亲,由同一位上帝所造吗?为何我们竟彼此欺骗,背弃上帝与我们祖先所立的约呢? 11 犹大人不忠贞,在以色列和耶路撒冷做了可憎的事,他们娶信奉外邦神明的女子为妻,亵渎了耶和华所爱的圣所。 12 愿耶和华从雅各的帐篷中铲除所有做这事并献供物给万军之耶和华的人!

13 另外,你们哀哭悲叹,眼泪甚至淹没了耶和华的祭坛,因为耶和华不再理会你们的供物,不再悦纳你们所献的。 14 你们还问为什么。因为耶和华在你和你的发妻中间作证,她是你的配偶,是你盟约的妻子,你却对她不忠。 15 上帝不是把你们结合为一体,叫你们肉体和心灵都归祂吗[a]?祂为何这样做?是为了得敬虔的后裔。所以,你们要小心谨慎,不可对自己的发妻不忠。 16 以色列的上帝耶和华说:“我憎恶休妻和以暴虐待妻子的人。所以你们要小心谨慎,不可有不忠的行为。”这是万军之耶和华说的。 17 你们说的话使耶和华厌烦,然而,你们还说:“我们在何事上令祂厌烦呢?”因为你们说:“耶和华将所有作恶者视为好人,并且喜悦他们”,还说:“公义的上帝在哪里?”

Footnotes

  1. 2:15 此句希伯来文语意不清。

The Lord Rebukes the Priests

“And now, (A)O priests, (B)this command is for you. (C)If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send (D)the curse upon you and I will curse (E)your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, (F)I will rebuke your offspring,[a] and (G)spread dung on your faces, the (H)dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.[b] So shall you know that I have sent (I)this command to you, that (J)my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and (K)peace, and I gave them to him. (L)It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. (M)True instruction[c] was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he (N)turned many from iniquity. For (O)the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people[d] should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. (P)You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted (Q)the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so (R)I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but (S)show partiality in your instruction.”

Judah Profaned the Covenant

10 Have we not all (T)one Father? Has not (U)one God created us? Why then are we (V)faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has been (W)faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For (X)Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant[e] of the man who does this, who (Y)brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!

13 And this second thing you do. (Z)You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 (AA)But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord (AB)was witness between you and the wife of your youth, (AC)to whom (AD)you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 (AE)Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?[f] And what was the one God[g] seeking?[h] (AF)Godly offspring. So guard yourselves[i] in your spirit, and let none of you be (AG)faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For (AH)the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,[j] says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers[k] his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and (AI)do not be faithless.”

The Messenger of the Lord

17 (AJ)You have wearied the Lord with your words. (AK)But you say, “How have we wearied him?” (AL)By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, (AM)“Where is the God of justice?”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:3 Hebrew seed
  2. Malachi 2:3 Or to it
  3. Malachi 2:6 Or law; also verses 7, 8, 9
  4. Malachi 2:7 Hebrew they
  5. Malachi 2:12 Hebrew any who wakes and answers
  6. Malachi 2:15 Hebrew in it
  7. Malachi 2:15 Hebrew the one
  8. Malachi 2:15 Or And not one has done this who has a portion of the Spirit. And what was that one seeking?
  9. Malachi 2:15 Or So take care; also verse 16
  10. Malachi 2:16 Hebrew who hates and divorces
  11. Malachi 2:16 Probable meaning (compare Septuagint and Deuteronomy 24:1–4); or “The Lord, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce, and him who covers

And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.

13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

The Lord Almighty says to the priests, “This command is for you: You must honor me by what you do. If you will not listen to what I say, then I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. In fact, I have already put a curse on them, because you do not take my command seriously. I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice—and you will be taken out to the dung heap. (A)Then you will know that I have given you this command, so that my covenant with the priests, the descendants of Levi, will not be broken.

(B)“In my covenant I promised them life and well-being, and this is what I gave them, so that they might respect me. In those days they did respect and fear me. They taught what was right, not what was wrong. They lived in harmony with me; they not only did what was right themselves, but they also helped many others to stop doing evil. It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty.

“But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you. So I, in turn, will make the people of Israel despise you because you do not obey my will, and when you teach my people, you do not treat everyone alike.”

The People's Unfaithfulness to God

10 Don't we all have the same father? Didn't the same God create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? 11 The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the Lord loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods. 12 May the Lord remove from the community of Israel those who did this, and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the Lord Almighty.[a]

13 This is another thing you do. You drown the Lord's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. 14 You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. 15 Didn't God make you one body and spirit with her?[b] What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly God's people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife. 16 “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel. “I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife.”

The Day of Judgment Is Near

17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, “How have we tired him?” By saying, “The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God who is supposed to be just?”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:12 One ancient translation May … Almighty; Hebrew unclear.
  2. Malachi 2:15 Probable text Didn't God … her; Hebrew unclear.