² This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: I will punish Amalek for what they did to Israel. They blocked Israel’s way after the Israelites came from Egypt. ³ Now go and attack Amalek. Claim everything they have for God by destroying it. Don’t spare them, but kill men and women, infants and children, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

⁴ Saul organized the troops, and he counted them at Telaim: 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah. ⁵ Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. ⁶ Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Get away from the Amalekites so that I won’t destroy you with them. You were kind to all the Israelites when they came from Egypt.” So the Kenites left the Amalekites.

⁷ Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt. ⁸ He captured King Agag of Amalek alive. But he claimed all the people for God by destroying them. ⁹ Saul and the army spared Agag and the best sheep and cows, the fattened animals, the lambs, and all the best property. The army refused to claim them for God by destroying them. But everything that was worthless and weak the army did claim for God and destroy.

The Lord Rejects Saul

¹⁰ Then Yahweh spoke to Samuel: ¹¹ “I regret that I made Saul king. He turned away from me and did not carry out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he prayed to Yahweh all night. ¹² Early in the morning he got up to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument in his honor. Then he left there and went to Gilgal.”

¹³ Samuel came to Saul, who said, “Yahweh bless you. I carried out Yahweh’s instructions.”

¹⁴ However, Samuel asked,

¹⁵ Saul answered, “The army brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best sheep and cows to sacrifice to Yahweh your Elohim. But the rest they claimed for God and destroyed.”

¹⁶ “Be quiet,” Samuel told Saul, “and let me tell you what Yahweh told me last night.”

“Speak,” Saul replied.

¹⁷ Samuel said, “Even though you don’t consider yourself great, you were the head of Israel’s tribes. Yahweh anointed you king of Israel. ¹⁸ And Yahweh sent you on a mission. He said, ‘Claim those sinners, the Amalekites, for me by destroying them. Wage war against them until they’re wiped out.’ ¹⁹ Why didn’t you obey Yahweh? Why have you taken their belongings and done what Yahweh considers evil?”

²⁰ “But I did obey Yahweh,” Saul told Samuel. “I went where Yahweh sent me, brought back King Agag of Amalek, and claimed the Amalekites for God. ²¹ The army took some of their belongings—the best sheep and cows were claimed for God—in order to sacrifice to Yahweh your Elohim in Gilgal.”

²² Then Samuel said,

²⁴ Then Saul told Samuel, “I have sinned by not following Yahweh’s command or your instructions. I was afraid of the people and listened to them. ²⁵ Now please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship Yahweh.”

²⁶ Samuel told Saul, “I will not go back with you because you rejected what Yahweh told you. So Yahweh rejects you as king of Israel.” ²⁷ When Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ Samuel told him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today. He has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. ²⁹ In addition, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, because he is not a mortal who changes his mind.”

³⁰ Saul replied, “I have sinned! Now please honor me in front of the leaders of my people and in front of Israel. Come back with me, and let me worship Yahweh your Elohim.” ³¹ Then Samuel turned and followed Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

³² “Bring me King Agag of Amalek,” Samuel said.

Agag came to him trembling.^[a] “Surely, the bitterness of death is past,”^[b] Agag said.

³³ But Samuel said, “As your sword made women childless, so your mother will be made childless among women.” And Samuel cut Agag in pieces in the presence of Yahweh at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went to his home at Gibeah.

¹⁵ “‘But the priests who are Levites and descendants of Zadok took care of my holy place when the Israelites wandered away from me. They may come near me and serve me, and they may stand in my presence. They may bring fat and blood to me, declares Adonay Yahweh. ¹⁶ They may enter my holy place, come near my table to serve me, and take care of everything I gave them. ¹⁷ When they enter the gateways to the inner courtyard, they must wear linen clothes. They must have no wool on them while they serve in the gateways to the inner courtyard and in the temple. ¹⁸ They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat. ¹⁹ When they go out among the people in the outer courtyard, they must take off the clothes that they wore as they served. They must leave their clothes in the side rooms of the holy place and put on other clothes so that they do not transfer the holiness from their clothes to the people.

²⁰ “‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long. They must keep the hair on their heads trimmed. ²¹ None of the priests may drink wine when they enter the inner courtyard. ²² They must not marry widows or women who have been divorced. They may marry only virgins from the nation of Israel or widows of priests. ²³ They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is unholy. They must show the people how to tell the difference between what is clean and what is unclean.^{[a] 24} In all disputes the priests must act as judges and make decisions based on my laws. They must obey my rules and my regulations at all my festivals. They must observe holy days to worship me.

²⁵ “‘A priest must not make himself unclean by going near a dead body. But a priest may become unclean if the dead person is his father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister. ²⁶ After a priest is made clean, he must wait seven days. ²⁷ When he enters the inner courtyard of the holy place to serve in the holy place, he must bring his offering for sin, declares Adonay Yahweh.

²⁸ “‘The priests will have no inheritance. I am their inheritance. Don’t give them any possessions in Israel. The priests belong to me. ²⁹ They will eat grain offerings, offerings for sin, and guilt offerings. Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord will belong to them. ³⁰ The priests should have the best of all the first ripened fruits. The best of every gift from all your contributions must go to the priests. The best of your dough must go to the priests. This will cause a blessing to rest on your home. ³¹ The priests must never eat any bird or animal that has died naturally or was killed by other wild animals.

¹⁶ Everyone who is left from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will come every year to worship the Melek, Yahweh Tsebaoth, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths. ¹⁷ If any of the families on the earth won’t go to Jerusalem to worship the Melek, Yahweh Tsebaoth, then rain won’t fall on them. ¹⁸ If the people of Egypt won’t go or enter Jerusalem, then rain won’t fall on them. The plague Yahweh uses to strike the nations will affect those who won’t come to celebrate the Festival of Booths. ¹⁹ This will be the punishment for Egypt’s sin and for the sin of all the nations that won’t go to celebrate the Festival of Booths.

²⁰ On that day “Holy to Yahweh” will be written on the bells of the horses. And the cooking pots in the house of Yahweh will be like the bowls in front of the altar. ²¹ Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh Tsebaoth. All who come to sacrifice will take some of them and cook in them. On that day there will no longer be any Canaanite^[a] in the house of Yahweh Tsebaoth.

“I Loved Jacob, but Esau I Hated”

1 This is a divine revelation. Yahweh spoke his word to Israel through Malachi.

² “I loved you,” says Yahweh.

“But you ask, ‘How did you love us?’

“Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “I loved Jacob, ³ but Esau I hated. I turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the jackals in the desert.

⁴ “The descendants of Esau may say, ‘We have been beaten down, but we will rebuild the ruins.’

“Yet, this is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. They will be called ‘the Wicked Land’ and ‘the people with whom Yahweh is always angry.’ ⁵ You will see these things with your own eyes and say, ‘Even outside the borders of Israel Yahweh is great.’

The Priests Offer Unacceptable Sacrifices to the Lord

⁶ “This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. So if I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my respect? You priests despise my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we despised your name?’

⁷ “You offer contaminated food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘Then how have we contaminated you?’

“When you say that Yahweh’s table may be despised. ⁸ When you bring a blind animal to sacrifice, isn’t that wrong? When you bring a lame or a sick animal, isn’t that wrong? Try offering it to your governor. Would he accept it from you? Would he welcome you?” asks Yahweh Tsebaoth.

⁹ “Now try asking El to be kind to you. This is what you are doing! Will he welcome you?” asks Yahweh Tsebaoth.

¹⁰ “I wish one of you would shut the doors to my house so that you could not light fires on my altar for no reason. I’m not pleased with you,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth, “and I won’t accept your offerings.

¹¹ “From the nations where the sun rises to the nations where the sun sets, my name will be great. Incense and pure offerings will be offered everywhere in my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. ¹² “But you dishonor it when you say that Adonay’s table may be contaminated and that its food may be despised.

¹³ “You say, ‘Oh what a nuisance it is,’ and you sniff at it in disgust,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. “You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?” asks Yahweh.

¹⁴ “Cheaters are under a curse. They have male animals in their flocks that they vow to give as a sacrifice. But they sacrifice second-rate ones to Adonay instead. I am a great Melek,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. “Among the nations my name is respected.

The Priests Do Not Teach the Lord’s Word Correctly

2 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. ² If you won’t listen and if you won’t consider giving honor to my name,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth, “then I’ll send a curse on you, and I’ll curse the blessings you give. Yes, I’ve already cursed them because you don’t carefully consider this.

³ “I’m going to punish your descendants. I’m going to spread excrement on your faces, the excrement from your festival sacrifices. You will be discarded with it. ⁴ Then you will know that I sent you this warning so that my promise^[a] to Levi will continue,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. ⁵ “I promised Levi life and peace. I gave them to him so that he would respect me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ The teaching that came from his mouth was true. Nothing unjust was found on his lips. He lived with me in peace and honesty and turned many people away from sin.

⁷ “A priest’s lips should preserve knowledge. Then, because he is the messenger for Yahweh Tsebaoth, people will seek instruction from his mouth.

⁸ “But you have turned from the correct path and caused many to stumble over my teachings. You have corrupted the promise made to Levi,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. ⁹ “So I have made you disgusting, and I have humiliated you in front of all the people, because you have not followed my ways. You have been unfair when applying my teachings.”

The People Break Their Marriage Vows

¹⁰ Don’t all of us have the same father? Hasn’t the same God created us? Why are we unfaithful to each other? And why do we dishonor the promise given to our ancestors? ¹¹ Judah has been unfaithful! A disgusting thing has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has dishonored the holy place that Yahweh loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god. ¹² May Yahweh exclude anyone who does this, whoever he may be. May he exclude them from Jacob’s tents and from bringing offerings to Yahweh Tsebaoth.

¹³ Here is another thing you do: You cover Yahweh’s altar with tears. You moan and groan because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them from you.

¹⁴ But you ask, “Why aren’t our offerings accepted?” It is because Yahweh is a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been unfaithful. Yet, she is your companion, the wife of your marriage vows. ¹⁵ Didn’t God make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. And what does the same God look for but godly descendants? So be careful not to be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.^[b]

¹⁶ “I hate divorce,” says Yahweh Elohim of Israel. “I hate the person who covers himself with violence,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. “Be careful not to be unfaithful.”

¹⁷ You have tried the patience of Yahweh with your words.

But you ask, “How have we tried his patience?”

When you say, “Everyone who does evil is considered good by Yahweh. He is pleased with them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

The Coming of the Messenger of the Promise

3 “I’m going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way ahead of me. Then the Adonay you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the promise^[c] will come. He is the one you want,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth.

² But who will be able to endure the day he comes? Who will be able to survive on the day he appears? He is like a purifying fire and like a cleansing soap. ³ He will act like a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify Levi’s sons and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will bring acceptable offerings to Yahweh. ⁴ The offerings from Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh as in the past, as in years long ago.

⁵ “I will come to judge you. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, lying witnesses, and those who cheat workers out of their wages and oppress widows and orphans. I will also testify against those who deprive foreigners of their rights. None of them fear me,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth.

The People Are Cheating God

⁶ “I, Yahweh, never change. That is why you descendants of Jacob haven’t been destroyed yet. ⁷ Since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my laws and have not followed them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

⁸ “Can a person cheat Elohim? Yet, you are cheating me!

“But you ask, ‘How are we cheating you?’

“When you don’t bring a tenth of your income and other contributions. ⁹ So a curse is on you because the whole nation is cheating me!

¹⁰ “Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. “See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings. ¹¹ Then, for your sake, I will stop insects from eating your crops. They will not destroy the produce of your land. The vines in your fields will not lose their unripened grapes,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. ¹² “All nations will call you blessed because you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth.

¹³ “You have used harsh words against me,” says Yahweh.

“You ask, ‘How have we spoken against you?’

¹⁴ “You have said, ‘It’s pointless to serve Elohim. What do we gain if we meet his standards or if we walk around feeling sorry for what we’ve done? ¹⁵ So now we call arrogant people blessed. Not only are evildoers encouraged, they even test Elohim and get away with it.’”

¹⁶ Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh paid attention and listened. A book was written in his presence to be a reminder to those who feared Yahweh and respected his name.

¹⁷ “They will be mine,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. “On that day I will make them my special possession. I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. ¹⁸ Then you will again see the difference between righteous people and wicked people, between the one who serves Elohim and the one who doesn’t serve him.

The Day of the Lord Brings Judgment

4 ^[d]“Certainly the day is coming! It will burn like a furnace. All arrogant people and all evildoers will be like straw. The day that is coming will burn them up completely,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth. “It won’t leave a single root or branch.

² “The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings for you people who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves let out of a stall. ³ You will trample on wicked people, because on the day I act they will be ashes under the soles of your feet,” says Yahweh Tsebaoth.

Remember What God Has Done and Will Do

⁴ “Remember the teachings of my servant Moses, the rules and regulations that I gave to him at Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “I’m going to send you the prophet Elijah before that very terrifying day of Yahweh comes. ⁶ He will change parents’ attitudes toward their children and children’s attitudes toward their parents. If not, I will come and reclaim my land by destroying you.”