³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(A)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(B) but those who despise^(C) me will be disdained.^(D)

²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.^(A) My Father will honor the one who serves me.

⁹ And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built^(A) up and planted, ¹⁰ and if it does evil^(B) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider^(C) the good I had intended to do for it.^(D)

¹³ The Lord says:

Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices

⁶ “A son honors his father,^(A) and a slave his master.^(B) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect^(C) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.^(D)

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask,^(E) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁹ and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons.^[a](A) The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance.^(B)

“Then you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness^(A) of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire^(B)—may result in praise, glory and honor^(C) when Jesus Christ is revealed.^(D)

² He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you^(A) when you are with him.^(B) If you seek^(C) him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.^(D)