Ezra’s Family Background

7 After these things, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra left Babylon.

Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah, ² who was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Ahitub, ³ who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Meraioth, ⁴ who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Bukki, ⁵ who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazer, who was the son of Aaron (the first priest).

⁶ As a scribe, Ezra was an expert in Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king gave Ezra everything he requested because the Lord his God was guiding him.

⁷ Some Israelites (including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants) went to Jerusalem in Artaxerxes’ seventh year as king. ⁸ In that same year in the fifth month, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. ⁹ He had left Babylon on the first day of the first month, and on the first day of the fifth month, he arrived in Jerusalem, since his God was good to him. ¹⁰ Ezra was determined to study the Lord’s Teachings, live by them, and teach their rules and regulations in Israel.

King Artaxerxes’ Letter to Ezra

¹¹ This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest and scribe, a man with a thorough knowledge of the Lord’s commands and laws for Israel:

¹² From: Artaxerxes, king of kings

To: Ezra the priest, a scribe for the Teachings of the God of Heaven:

I wish you peace and prosperity!

¹³ I have issued a decree that any Israelites who are in my kingdom and want to go with you to Jerusalem may go. This also includes the priests and Levites. ¹⁴ I, the king, and my seven advisers are sending you to evaluate the situation in Judah and Jerusalem on the basis of your God’s Teachings, which you hold in your hands. ¹⁵ Also, you must take the silver and gold that the king and his advisers willingly contributed to the God of Israel, the God whose temple is in Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Take any silver and gold that you find in the whole province of Babylon when you take the gifts contributed by the people and the priests. They willingly contributed these gifts for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ You must use this money to buy bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine to offer on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ You and your relatives may do whatever you think is right with the rest of the silver and gold. However, what you do must conform to the will of your God. ¹⁹ The utensils that have been given to you so that they can be used in your God’s temple must all be presented to the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰ You may use the king’s treasury to pay for anything else that you must provide for your God’s temple.

²¹ I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers ⌞in the province⌟ west of the Euphrates River to do exactly what Ezra the priest, a scribe for the Teachings of the God of Heaven, asks you to do. ²² ⌞You may give him⌟ up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 100 measures of wheat, 600 gallons of wine, 600 gallons of olive oil, and as much salt as he needs. ²³ Whatever the God of heaven has commanded must be carried out in detail for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should God become angry with the king’s empire and his sons? ²⁴ Furthermore, we are notifying you that you are forbidden to make any priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, servant, or worker in the temple of this God pay any taxes, fees, or tolls.

²⁵ You, Ezra, using your God’s wisdom—the Teachings you hold in your hands—will appoint judges and administrators for all the people who know your God’s Teachings and live ⌞in the province⌟ west of the Euphrates River. In addition, you will teach anyone who doesn’t know the Teachings.

²⁶ Whoever will not strictly follow your God’s Teachings and the king’s orders should be promptly exiled, have his goods confiscated, be imprisoned or be sentenced to die.

²⁷ ⌞I, Ezra, said:⌟ Thanks be to the Lord God of our ancestors. He put this into the king’s mind to make the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem beautiful. ²⁸ He made the king, his advisers, and all the king’s powerful officials treat me kindly.

I was encouraged because the Lord my God was guiding me. So I gathered leaders in Israel to go with me.

Distressing News

1 These are the words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah:

During the month of Chislev, in Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, while I was in the fortress at Susa, ² one of my brothers, Hanani, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had survived captivity and about Jerusalem. ³ They told me, “Those who survived captivity are in the province. They are enduring serious troubles and being insulted. The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”

Nehemiah’s Prayer

⁴ When I heard this, I sat down and cried. I mourned for days. I continued to fast and pray to the God of heaven. ⁵ I said,

“Lord God of heaven, great and awe-inspiring God, you faithfully keep your promise ^[a] and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments. ⁶ Open your eyes, and pay close attention with your ears to what I, your servant, am praying. I am praying to you day and night about your servants the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against you as well as the sins that my father’s family and I have committed. ⁷ We have done you a great wrong. We haven’t obeyed the commandments, laws, or regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. ⁸ Please remember what you told us through your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me and continue to obey my commandments, though your people may be driven to the most distant point on the horizon, I will come and get you from there and bring you to the place where I chose to put my name.’ ¹⁰ These are your servants and your people whom you have saved by your great power and your strong hand. ¹¹ Lord, please pay attention to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to worship your name. Please give me success today and make this man, King Artaxerxes, show me compassion.”

I was cupbearer ^[b] to the king at this time.

The King Shows Compassion to Nehemiah

2 In the month of Nisan, in Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, after some wine was brought for the king, I picked up the cup of wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before.

² The king asked me, “Why do you look so sad? You aren’t sick, are you? You must be troubled about something.” (I was really afraid).

³ “May the king live forever!” I said to the king. “Why shouldn’t I look sad when the city, the place where my ancestors are buried, is in ruins and its gates are burned down?”

⁴ “What do you want?” the king asked me.

So I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I asked the king, “If it pleases Your Majesty, and you are willing to grant my request, let me go to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild it.”

⁶ Then, while the queen was sitting beside him, the king asked me, “How long will you be gone, and when will you come back?” When I gave him a specific date, he was willing to let me go.

⁷ I also asked the king, “If it pleases Your Majesty, let me have letters addressed to the governors ⌞of the province⌟ west of the Euphrates River. In the letters tell them to grant me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah. ⁸ Also, let me have a letter addressed to Asaph, the supervisor of Your Majesty’s forest. In the letter order him to give me wood for the gates of the fortress near the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I’ll move into.” (The king let me have the letters, because God was guiding me.)

Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem

⁹ I went to the governors ⌞of the province⌟ west of the Euphrates River and gave them the king’s letters. (The king had sent army officers and cavalry to be with me.) ¹⁰ But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were very upset that someone had come to give the people of Israel so much assistance.

Nehemiah Surveys the Damage to Jerusalem’s Walls

¹¹ I went to Jerusalem and was there for three days. ¹² During the night I went out with a few men without telling anyone what my God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I had was the one I was riding. ¹³ I went through Valley Gate that night toward Snake Fountain and Dung Gate and examined the places where the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and where its gates had been burned. ¹⁴ Passing through Fountain Gate, I arrived at King’s Pool, but the animal I was riding couldn’t get through. ¹⁵ So I went through the valley that night and examined the wall. Then I turned back, entered Valley Gate, and returned.

¹⁶ The officials didn’t know where I had gone or what I had done. I hadn’t yet told the Jews, the priests, the leaders, the other officials, or any of the rest who would be doing the work. ¹⁷ Then I told them, “You see the trouble we’re in. Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned down. Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be insulted.” ¹⁸ Then I told them that my God had been guiding me and what the king had told me.

They replied, “Let’s begin to rebuild.” So they encouraged one another to begin this God-pleasing work.

¹⁹ When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They asked, “What are you doing? Are you going to rebel against the king?”

²⁰ “The God of heaven will give us success,” I answered them. “We, his servants, are going to rebuild. You have no property or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”

Sanballat Ridicules the Jews

4 ^[a]When Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall, he became enraged and made fun of the Jews. ² In front of his allies and the army from Samaria, he said, “What do these miserable Jews think they’re doing? Can they rebuild it by themselves? Are they going to offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in a day? Will they get the stones out of the rubbish heaps, burned as these stones are, and give them new strength?”

³ Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside Sanballat, said, “Even a fox would make their stone wall collapse if it walked on top of what they’re building!”

Nehemiah Overcomes Opposition from Sanballat

⁴ ⌞Nehemiah prayed,⌟ “Our God, hear us. We are despised. Turn their insults back on them, and let them be robbed in the land where they are prisoners. ⁵ Don’t ignore their guilt, and don’t let their sins disappear from your records. They have insulted you in front of these builders.”

⁶ So we rebuilt the wall, which was rebuilt to about half its ⌞original⌟ height. The people worked with determination.

⁷ When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people from Ashdod heard that the repair work on the walls of Jerusalem was making progress and that the gaps were being filled in, they became furious. ⁸ All of them plotted to attack Jerusalem to create confusion. ⁹ But we prayed to our God and set guards to protect us day and night.

¹⁰ Then the people of Judah said, “The work crews are worn out, and there is too much rubble. We can’t continue to rebuild the wall.”

¹¹ Our enemies said, “Before they know what is happening or see a thing, we will be right in the middle of them. We’ll kill them and bring the work to an end.”

¹² Jews who were living near our enemies warned us ten times that our enemies would attack us from every direction.

¹³ That is why I positioned people by their families behind the wall where it was lowest and most exposed. The people were armed with swords, spears, and bows. ¹⁴ I looked them over and proceeded to tell the nobles, the leaders, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and awe-inspiring the Lord is. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

¹⁵ When our enemies heard that we knew about their plots and that God had prevented their plans from being successful, we all went back to the work on the wall. Each person performed his own job. ¹⁶ From that day on, half of my men worked on the wall, and the other half were wearing body armor and holding spears, shields, and bows. The leaders stood behind all the Judeans ¹⁷ who were rebuilding the wall. The workers who were carrying loads did the work with one hand and held their weapons with the other, ¹⁸ and each builder had his sword fastened to his side. The man who was supposed to sound the trumpet alarm was with me. ¹⁹ I told the nobles, the leaders, and the rest of the people, “So much work has to be done in different places that we are widely separated from one another on the wall. ²⁰ When you hear the trumpet, assemble around me. Our God will fight for us!”

²¹ So we continued to work. Half of us held spears from early dawn until the stars came out. ²² At that time I told the people, “Every man and his servant should stay overnight in Jerusalem so that we can set a guard at night and work during the day.” ²³ My brothers, my servants, and the guards assigned to me never changed their clothes. Neither did I. We each kept our weapons at hand.

Sanballat Tries to Harm Nehemiah

6 Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gaps had been left in it (although at that time I had not yet hung the doors in the city gates). ² Then Sanballat and Geshem sent this message to me: “Let’s meet in Hakkephirim on the plain of Ono.” They were planning to harm me.

³ I sent messengers to tell them, “I’m working on an important project and can’t get away. Why should the work stop while I leave to meet with you?” ⁴ They sent the same message to me four times, and I answered them the same way. ⁵ When Sanballat sent me the same message a fifth time, his servant held in his hand an unsealed letter. ⁶ In it was written:

It has been reported throughout the nations, and Geshem has confirmed it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That’s why you’re rebuilding the wall. According to this report, you want to become their king. ⁷ You’ve appointed prophets to announce about you in Jerusalem, ‘There’s a king in Judah!’ This report will get back to the king. So let’s talk about this.

⁸ Then I sent someone to tell him, “None of your accusations are true. You are making them up out of your own imagination.”

⁹ They were all trying to intimidate us. They thought we would give up and not finish the work.

But God made me strong.

¹⁰ ⌞One day⌟ I went to the home of Shemaiah, son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel. Shemaiah who was confined to his house, said, “Let’s meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and close the temple doors. Some men are coming at night to kill you.”

¹¹ But I asked, “Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I won’t go.”

¹² Then I realized that God hadn’t sent him. Instead, Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him to prophesy against me. ¹³ He was hired to intimidate me into doing this so that I would sin. Then they could give me a bad reputation in order to discredit me.

¹⁴ ⌞Nehemiah prayed,⌟ “My God, remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Also, remember the female prophet Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.”

The Wall Rebuilt in Spite of Opposition

¹⁵ The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. The wall took 52 days to finish. ¹⁶ When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence. They realized we had done this work with the help of our God.

Traitors on the Inside

¹⁷ In those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah sent many letters back to them. ¹⁸ Many in Judah had promised to support Tobiah because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, Arah’s son. In addition, Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, Berechiah’s son. ¹⁹ The nobles were singing Tobiah’s praises to me and reporting to him what I said. Tobiah kept sending letters to intimidate me.

Nehemiah Places Hanani and Hananiah in Charge of Guarding the City Gates

7 The gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were assigned their duties after the wall had been rebuilt and I had hung the doors. ² I put my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem. Hananiah was a trustworthy man, and he feared God more than most people do. ³ I told them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened at the hottest time of the day. While the ⌞gatekeepers⌟ are still standing there, they should shut the doors and bar them. Order some of the men in Jerusalem to stand guard, some at their posts and others in front of their homes.” ⁴ The city was large and wide-open. Few people were in it, and no houses were being built.

The First Jewish Exiles Who Returned to Jerusalem

⁵ Then my God put the idea into my head that I should gather the nobles, leaders, and people so that they could check their genealogy. I found the book with the genealogy of those who came back the first time. I found the following written in it:

⁶ These were the people in the province. They were the ones who left the place where the exiles had been taken captive. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken them captive. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah. All of them went to their own cities. ⁷ They went with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

Families Listed by Ancestor^(A)

This is the number of Israelite men from the people in exile:

Families Listed by Towns^(B)

Priests^(C)

³⁹ These priests returned from exile:

Levites^(D)

⁴³ These Levites returned from exile:

Temple Servants^(E)

⁴⁶ These temple servants returned from exile: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷ Keros, Sia, Padon, ⁴⁸ Lebanah, Hagabah, Shalmai, ⁴⁹ Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, ⁵⁰ Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, ⁵¹ Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, ⁵² Besai, Meunim, Nephusheshim, ⁵³ Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵⁴ Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵⁵ Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁶ Neziah, and Hatipha.

Descendants of Solomon’s Servants^(F)

⁵⁷ These descendants of Solomon’s servants returned from exile: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, ⁵⁸ Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁹ Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.

⁶⁰ The temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants totaled 392.

Those of Unknown Origin^(G)

⁶¹ The following people came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they couldn’t prove they were Israelites on the basis of their father’s family or their genealogy: ⁶² the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda. These people totaled 642.

⁶³ These priests ⌞couldn’t prove they were Israelites⌟: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai from Gilead and took that ⌞family⌟ name). ⁶⁴ These people searched for their ⌞family⌟ names in the genealogical records, but their names couldn’t be found there. For this reason they were considered contaminated and couldn’t be priests. ⁶⁵ The governor told them not to eat any of the most holy food until a priest could use the Urim and Thummim ^[a] ⌞to settle the problem⌟.

The Total of the People and Animals Returning from Exile^(H)

⁶⁶ The whole assembly totaled 42,360. ⁶⁷ In addition to the male and female servants who numbered 7,337, they also had 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸ They had 736 horses, 245 mules,^{[b] 69} 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Gifts Given for the Temple^(I)

⁷⁰ Some of the heads of the families contributed to this work. The governor contributed the following to the treasury: nearly 18 pounds of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 robes for the priests. ⁷¹ Some of the heads of the families contributed to the treasury for this work: 337 pounds of gold and 3,215 pounds of silver. ⁷² The rest of the people contributed 337 pounds of gold, 2,923 pounds of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.

⁷³ The priests, Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and the rest of Israel settled in their own cities. When the seventh month came, the people of Israel were in their own cities.

The Public Reading of Moses’ Teachings

8 ⌞When the seventh month came,⌟ all the people gathered together in the courtyard in front of Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord had commanded Israel ⌞to follow⌟. ² Then Ezra the priest brought the Teachings in front of the assembly. This included men, women, and any ⌞children⌟ who could understand what they heard. This took place on the first day of the seventh month. ³ From daybreak until noon, he read from it in the courtyard in front of Water Gate to the men, women, and ⌞children⌟ who could understand it. All the people listened to the Book of Moses’ Teachings.

⁴ Ezra the scribe stood on a raised wooden platform made for this occasion. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right. Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchiah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam stood beside him on his left. ⁵ Ezra, standing higher than all the other people, opened the book in front of all the people. As he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶ Ezra thanked the Lord, the great God. All the people responded, “Amen! Amen!” as they raised their hands and then bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord. ⁷ The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—explained the Teachings to the people while they were standing there. ⁸ They read the Book of God’s Teachings clearly and explained the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.

⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people told them, “This is a holy day for the Lord your God. Don’t mourn or cry.” All the people were crying as they listened to the reading of God’s Teachings. ¹⁰ Then he told them, “Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who cannot provide for themselves. Today is a holy day for the Lord. Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the Lord is your strength.” ¹¹ So the Levites calmed all the people by saying, “Listen. Today is a holy day. Don’t be sad.”

¹² Then all the people went to eat and drink and to send portions. They had a big, joyful celebration because they understood the words that had been explained to them.

The Festival of Booths Is Observed

¹³ On the second day the leaders of the families of all the people, including the priests and the Levites, met with Ezra the scribe to study the words of God’s Teachings. ¹⁴ They found written in the Teachings that the Lord had given an order through Moses that the people of Israel should live in booths during a festival in the seventh month. ¹⁵ They should announce this command and send this message throughout all their cities and Jerusalem: “Go to the mountains, and get branches—olive and wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other thick-leaved branches—to make booths as it is written.”

¹⁶ So the people went to get branches to make booths for themselves. Some made booths on their roofs, others in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s temple, in the open area by Water Gate, or in the open area at Ephraim Gate.

¹⁷ The whole assembly that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. From the time of Jeshua (son of Nun) to that day, the people of Israel had not done this. There was a big, joyful celebration. ¹⁸ Day by day, from the first day of the festival to the last day, Ezra continued to read from the Book of God’s Teachings. The people celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, they had a closing festival assembly in accordance with the regulations.

“I Loved Jacob, but Esau I Hated”

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

² “I loved you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask, ‘How did you love us?’

“Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “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 the Lord of Armies says: They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. They will be called ‘the Wicked Land’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is always angry.’ ⁵ You will see these things with your own eyes and say, ‘Even outside the borders of Israel the Lord is great.’

The Priests Offer Unacceptable Sacrifices to the Lord

⁶ “This is what the Lord of Armies 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 the Lord’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 the Lord of Armies.

⁹ “Now try asking God to be kind to you. This is what you are doing! Will he welcome you?” asks the Lord of Armies.

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 the Lord of Armies, “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 the Lord of Armies. ¹² “But you dishonor it when you say that the Lord’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 the Lord of Armies. “You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?” asks the Lord.

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 the Lord instead. I am a great king,” says the Lord of Armies. “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 the Lord of Armies, “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 the Lord of Armies. 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 the Lord of Armies, 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 the Lord of Armies. 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 the Lord loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god. ¹² May the Lord exclude anyone who does this, whoever he may be. May he exclude them from Jacob’s tents and from bringing offerings to the Lord of Armies.

¹³ Here is another thing you do: You cover the Lord’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 the Lord 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.

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

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

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

When you say, “Everyone who does evil is considered good by the Lord. 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 Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the promise ^[b] will come. He is the one you want,” says the Lord of Armies.

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 the Lord. ⁴ The offerings from Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord 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 the Lord of Armies.

The People Are Cheating God

⁶ “I, the Lord, 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 the Lord of Armies.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

⁸ “Can a person cheat God? 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 the Lord of Armies. “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 the Lord of Armies. ¹² “All nations will call you blessed because you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies.

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

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

¹⁴ “You have said, ‘It’s pointless to serve God. 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 God and get away with it.’ ”

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

¹⁷ “They will be mine,” says the Lord of Armies. “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 God and the one who doesn’t serve him.

The Day of the Lord Brings Judgment

4 ^[c]“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 the Lord of Armies. “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 the Lord of Armies.

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 the Lord 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.”