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My people are being destroyed
    because they don’t know me.
Since you priests refuse to know me,
    I refuse to recognize you as my priests.
Since you have forgotten the laws of your God,
    I will forget to bless your children.

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    my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(A)

“Because you have rejected knowledge,
    I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(B) of your God,
    I also will ignore your children.

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13 So my people will go into exile far away
    because they do not know me.
Those who are great and honored will starve,
    and the common people will die of thirst.

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13 Therefore my people will go into exile(A)
    for lack of understanding;(B)
those of high rank(C) will die of hunger
    and the common people will be parched with thirst.(D)

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Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;
    haste makes mistakes.

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Desire without knowledge is not good—
    how much more will hasty feet miss the way!(A)

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I want you to show love,[a]
    not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me[b]
    more than I want burnt offerings.

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Footnotes

  1. 6:6a Greek version translates this Hebrew term as to show mercy. Compare Matt 9:13; 12:7.
  2. 6:6b Hebrew to know God.

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,(A)
    and acknowledgment(B) of God rather than burnt offerings.(C)

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If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

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And even if our gospel(A) is veiled,(B) it is veiled to those who are perishing.(C) The god(D) of this age(E) has blinded(F) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,(G) who is the image of God.(H) For what we preach is not ourselves,(I) but Jesus Christ as Lord,(J) and ourselves as your servants(K) for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a](L) made his light shine in our hearts(M) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.(N)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3

The Lord’s Case against Israel

Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel!
    The Lord has brought charges against you, saying:
“There is no faithfulness, no kindness,
    no knowledge of God in your land.

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The Charge Against Israel

Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
    because the Lord has a charge(A) to bring
    against you who live in the land:(B)
“There is no faithfulness,(C) no love,
    no acknowledgment(D) of God in the land.(E)

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30 They rejected my advice
    and paid no attention when I corrected them.
31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way,
    choking on their own schemes.
32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
    Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.

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30 Since they would not accept my advice
    and spurned my rebuke,(A)
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
    and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.(B)
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them;(C)

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‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.

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“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.

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10 Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you.
    You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you.
So you may plant the finest grapevines
    and import the most expensive seedlings.

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10 You have forgotten(A) God your Savior;(B)
    you have not remembered the Rock,(C) your fortress.(D)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
    and plant imported vines,(E)

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A Warning to the Priests

“Listen, you priests—this command is for you! Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile.

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Additional Warning to the Priests

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you.(A) If you do not listen,(B) and if you do not resolve to honor(C) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse(D) on you, and I will curse your blessings.(E) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

“Because of you I will rebuke your descendants[a]; I will smear on your faces the dung(F) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:3 Or will blight your grain

14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces,
    and Judah has fortified its cities.
Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities
    and will burn up their fortresses.”

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14 Israel has forgotten(A) their Maker(B)
    and built palaces;
    Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire on their cities
    that will consume their fortresses.”(C)

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The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
    the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
    wasting their time on worthless idols.

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The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;(A)
    the leaders(B) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,(C)
    following worthless idols.(D)

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12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God[a] and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

Samuel Speaks for the Lord

15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle[b] as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads his sons have made themselves contemptible.
  2. 3:15 Hebrew the house of the Lord.

12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything(A) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain(B) them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned(C) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 3:13 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text sons made themselves contemptible