Before Abraham Was, I AM

48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and (A)have a demon?”

49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and (B)you dishonor Me. 50 And (C)I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, (D)if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You (E)have a demon! (F)Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. (G)Who do You make Yourself out to be?”

54 Jesus answered, (H)“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. (I)It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is [a]your God. 55 Yet (J)you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and (K)keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham (L)rejoiced to see My day, (M)and he saw it and was glad.”

57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, (N)before Abraham was, (O)I AM.”

59 Then (P)they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, (Q)going[b] through the midst of them, and so passed by.

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Footnotes

  1. John 8:54 NU, M our
  2. John 8:59 NU omits the rest of v. 59.

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan(A) and demon-possessed?”(B)

49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself;(C) but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”(D)

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed!(E) Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham?(F) He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself,(G) my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.(H) 55 Though you do not know him,(I) I know him.(J) If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.(K) 56 Your father Abraham(L) rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it(M) and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born,(N) I am!”(O) 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him,(P) but Jesus hid himself,(Q) slipping away from the temple grounds.

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The Ark Brought into the Temple(A)

(B)Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up (C)from the City of David, which is Zion. (D)Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king (E)at the feast, which was in the seventh month. So all the elders of Israel came, and the (F)Levites took up the ark. Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the (G)inner sanctuary of the [a]temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. The poles extended so that the ends of the (H)poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And [b]they are there to this day. 10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses (I)put there at Horeb, [c]when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had [d]sanctified themselves, without keeping to their (J)divisions), 12 (K)and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, (L)and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:

(M)For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,”

that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not [e]continue ministering because of the cloud; (N)for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 5:7 Lit. house
  2. 2 Chronicles 5:9 Lit. it is
  3. 2 Chronicles 5:10 Or where
  4. 2 Chronicles 5:11 consecrated
  5. 2 Chronicles 5:14 Lit. stand to minister

The Ark Brought to the Temple(A)

Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(B) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. And all the Israelites(C) came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priests(D) carried them up; and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

The priests then brought the ark(E) of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim(F) spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 10 There was nothing in the ark except(G) the two tablets(H) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.(I) 12 All the Levites who were musicians(J)—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.(K) 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”(L)

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud,(M) 14 and the priests could not perform(N) their service because of the cloud,(O) for the glory(P) of the Lord filled the temple of God.

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Treachery of Infidelity

10 (A)Have we not all one Father?
(B)Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
11 Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has (C)profaned
The Lord’s holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being [a]awake and aware,
Yet (D)who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!

13 And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness
Between you and (E)the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
(F)Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
15 But (G)did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks (H)godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

16 “For (I)the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”

17 (J)You have wearied the Lord with your words;
Yet you say,
“In what way have we wearied Him?
In that you say,
(K)“Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the Lord,
And He delights in them,”
Or, “Where is the God of justice?”

The Coming Messenger

“Behold, (L)I send My messenger,
And he will (M)prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
(N)Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, (O)He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“But who can endure (P)the day of His coming?
And (Q)who can stand when He appears?
For (R)He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
(S)He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And [b]purge them as gold and silver,
That they may (T)offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

“Then (U)the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be [c]pleasant to the Lord,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
(V)Against perjurers,
Against those who (W)exploit wage earners and (X)widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“For I am the Lord, (Y)I do not change;
(Z)Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Yet from the days of (AA)your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
(AB)Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
(AC)“But you said,
‘In what way shall we return?’

Do Not Rob God

“Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
(AD)In tithes and offerings.
You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
10 (AE)Bring all the tithes into the (AF)storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the (AG)windows of heaven
And (AH)pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

11 “And I will rebuke (AI)the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of hosts;
12 “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be (AJ)a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

The People Complain Harshly

13 “Your(AK) words have been [d]harsh against Me,”
Says the Lord,
“Yet you say,
‘What have we spoken against You?’
14 (AL)You have said,
‘It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the Lord of hosts?
15 So now (AM)we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are [e]raised up;
They even (AN)tempt God and go free.’ ”

A Book of Remembrance

16 Then those (AO)who feared the Lord (AP)spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So (AQ)a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who [f]meditate on His name.

17 “They(AR) shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My (AS)jewels.[g]
And (AT)I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
18 (AU)Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.

The Great Day of God

“For behold, (AV)the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all (AW)the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be (AX)stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will (AY)leave them neither root nor branch.
But to you who (AZ)fear My name
The (BA)Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
(BB)You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,
Says the Lord of hosts.

“Remember the (BC)Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With (BD)the statutes and judgments.
Behold, I will send you (BE)Elijah the prophet
(BF)Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And (BG)he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and (BH)strike the earth with (BI)a curse.”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:12 Talmud, Vg. teacher and student
  2. Malachi 3:3 Or refine
  3. Malachi 3:4 pleasing
  4. Malachi 3:13 Lit. strong
  5. Malachi 3:15 Lit. built
  6. Malachi 3:16 Or esteem
  7. Malachi 3:17 Lit. special treasure

Breaking Covenant Through Divorce

10 Do we not all have one Father[a]?(A) Did not one God create us?(B) Why do we profane the covenant(C) of our ancestors by being unfaithful(D) to one another?

11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable(E) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves(F) by marrying(G) women who worship a foreign god.(H) 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove(I) him from the tents of Jacob[b](J)—even though he brings an offering(K) to the Lord Almighty.

13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.(L) You weep and wail(M) because he no longer looks with favor(N) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.(O) 14 You ask,(P) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness(Q) between you and the wife of your youth.(R) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.(S)

15 Has not the one God made you?(T) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.[c](U) So be on your guard,(V) and do not be unfaithful(W) to the wife of your youth.

16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,(X)” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[d](Y) says the Lord Almighty.

So be on your guard,(Z) and do not be unfaithful.

Breaking Covenant Through Injustice

17 You have wearied(AA) the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.(AB)

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased(AC) with them” or “Where is the God of justice?(AD)

“I will send my messenger,(AE) who will prepare the way before me.(AF) Then suddenly the Lord(AG) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(AH) whom you desire,(AI) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(AJ) the day of his coming?(AK) Who can stand(AL) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(AM) or a launderer’s soap.(AN) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(AO) he will purify(AP) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(AQ) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(AR) and the offerings(AS) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(AT)

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(AU) adulterers(AV) and perjurers,(AW) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(AX) who oppress the widows(AY) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(AZ) among you of justice, but do not fear(BA) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(BB) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(BC) Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away(BD) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return(BE) to me, and I will return to you,”(BF) says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask,(BG) ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob(BH) God? Yet you rob me.

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

“In tithes(BI) and offerings. You are under a curse(BJ)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(BK) into the storehouse,(BL) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(BM) of heaven and pour out(BN) so much blessing(BO) that there will not be room enough to store it.(BP) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(BQ) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(BR)” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,(BS) for yours will be a delightful land,”(BT) says the Lord Almighty.(BU)

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

13 “You have spoken arrogantly(BV) against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask,(BW) ‘What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(BX) to serve(BY) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(BZ) and going about like mourners(CA) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(CB) blessed. Certainly evildoers(CC) prosper,(CD) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(CE) A scroll(CF) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(CG) the Lord and honored his name.

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(CH) treasured possession.(CI) I will spare(CJ) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(CK) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(CL) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(CM)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

[e]“Surely the day is coming;(CN) it will burn like a furnace.(CO) All the arrogant(CP) and every evildoer will be stubble,(CQ) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,(CR)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch(CS) will be left to them. But for you who revere my name,(CT) the sun of righteousness(CU) will rise with healing(CV) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic(CW) like well-fed calves. Then you will trample(CX) on the wicked; they will be ashes(CY) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law(CZ) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(DA) for all Israel.(DB)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah(DC) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.(DD) He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,(DE) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike(DF) the land with total destruction.”(DG)

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:10 Or father
  2. Malachi 2:12 Or 12 May the Lord remove from the tents of Jacob anyone who gives testimony in behalf of the man who does this
  3. Malachi 2:15 The meaning of the Hebrew for the first part of this verse is uncertain.
  4. Malachi 2:16 Or “I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “because the man who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,”
  5. Malachi 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:19-24.