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Malachi 2
New American Standard Bible

Priests to Be Disciplined

2 “And now, this commandment is for you, the priests. 2 If you do (A)not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of armies, “then I will send the (B)curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have (C)cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3 Behold, I am going to (D)rebuke your [a]descendants, and I will (E)spread [b]dung on your faces, the [c]dung of your (F)feasts; and you will be taken away [d]with it. 4 Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, [e]so that My (G)covenant may [f]continue with Levi,” says the Lord of armies. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and (H)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of [g]reverence; so he [h](I)revered Me and was in awe of My name. 6 [i](J)True instruction was in his mouth and injustice was not found on his lips; he walked (K)with Me in peace and justice, and he (L)turned many back from wrongdoing. 7 For the lips of a priest should maintain (M)knowledge, and people should (N)seek [j]instruction from his mouth; for he is the (O)messenger of the Lord of armies. 8 But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to (P)stumble [k]by the instruction; you have (Q)ruined the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of armies. 9 “So (R)I also have made you despised and of (S)low reputation [l]in the view of all the people, since you are not keeping My ways but are showing (T)partiality in the [m]instruction.”

Sin in the Family

10 Do we not all have (U)one Father? (V)Is it not one God who has created us? Why do we deal (W)treacherously, each against his brother so as to profane the (X)covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has dealt (Y)treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has (Z)profaned the sanctuary of the Lord [n]which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the (AA)Lord eliminate from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and answers, or who (AB)presents [o]an offering to the Lord of armies.

13 And this is [p]another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He (AC)no longer gives attention to the [q]offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the (AD)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt (AE)treacherously, though she is your marriage companion and your wife by covenant. 15 [r]But not one has (AF)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And [s]why the one? He was seeking a (AG)godly offspring. Be careful then about your spirit, and see that none of you deals (AH)treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 “For [t]I hate [u](AI)divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and [v]him who covers his garment with (AJ)violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

17 You have (AK)wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “(AL)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He (AM)delights in them,” or, “(AN)Where is the God of (AO)justice?”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:3 Lit seed
  2. Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
  3. Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
  4. Malachi 2:3 Lit to
  5. Malachi 2:4 Or to be My covenant with
  6. Malachi 2:4 Lit be
  7. Malachi 2:5 Or fear
  8. Malachi 2:5 Or feared
  9. Malachi 2:6 Or Law of truth
  10. Malachi 2:7 Or the Law
  11. Malachi 2:8 Or in the Law
  12. Malachi 2:9 Lit to
  13. Malachi 2:9 Or law
  14. Malachi 2:11 Or in that he has loved and married
  15. Malachi 2:12 Or a grain offering
  16. Malachi 2:13 Lit a second
  17. Malachi 2:13 Or grain offering
  18. Malachi 2:15 Or Did He not make one, although He had the remnant
  19. Malachi 2:15 Or what did the one do while he was seeking
  20. Malachi 2:16 Lit He hates
  21. Malachi 2:16 Lit sending away
  22. Malachi 2:16 Lit he covers
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Malachi 2
Common English Bible

2 But now, this command is for you, priests:
2     If you don’t listen,
        or don’t intend to glorify my name,
says the Lord of heavenly forces,
        then I will send a curse among you.
        I will curse your blessings,
            and I mean really curse them,
            because none of you intend to do it.
3 I am about to denounce your offspring;
        I will scatter feces on your faces,
        the feces of your festivals.
Then I will lift you up to me,[a]
4     and you will know that I have sent this command to you
        so that my covenant with Levi can continue to exist,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
5 My covenant with him involved life and peace, which I gave him,
        and also fear so that he honored me.
            He was in awe of my name.
6 True Instruction was in his mouth;
        injustice wasn’t found on his lips.
He walked with me in peace and did the right thing;
        he made many turn from iniquity.
7 The lips of the priest should guard knowledge;
        everyone[b] should seek Instruction from his mouth,
            for he is the messenger from the Lord of heavenly forces.
8 But you have turned from the path.
        You have caused many to stumble by your instruction.
        You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
9 Moreover, I have made you despised and humiliated in the view of all the people,
        since none of you keep my ways
            or show respect for Instruction.

Judah’s dishonesty

10 Isn’t there one father for all of us,
    one God who created us?
Why does everyone cheat each other
    to make the covenant
        of our ancestors impure?
11 Judah cheated—
        a detestable thing was done in Israel and Jerusalem.
    Judah made the Lord’s holy place impure, which God loved,
        and married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord eliminate anyone who does so from the tents of Jacob,
        anyone awaking, testifying,[c]
        and making an offering to the Lord of heavenly forces.
13 You should do this as well:
        cover the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping, and groaning
            because there is still no divine favor for your offering or favorable regard
            for anything from your hand.
14 But you say, “Why?”
    Because the Lord testifies about you
            and the wife of your youth against whom you cheated.
    She is your partner,
            the wife of your covenant.
15 Didn’t he make her[d] the one[e]
    and the remnant of his spirit?[f]
    What is the one?
        The one seeking godly offspring.
You should guard your own spirit.
    Don’t cheat on the wife of your youth
16         because he hates divorce,
says the Lord God of Israel,
            and he also hates the one covering his garment with violence,[g]
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
        Guard your own life, and don’t cheat.

Purifying judgment

17 You have made the Lord tired with your words.
You say, “How have we made him tired?”
    When you say:
        “Anyone doing evil is good in the Lord’s eyes,”
        or “He delights in those doing evil,”[h]
        or “Where is the God of justice?”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:3 Heb uncertain; MT He will carry you to it.
  2. Malachi 2:7 Or they
  3. Malachi 2:12 Heb uncertain
  4. Malachi 2:15 Heb lacks her.
  5. Malachi 2:15 Heb uncertain; her refers to the wife in Mal 2:14.
  6. Malachi 2:15 Heb uncertain
  7. Malachi 2:16 Heb uncertain
  8. Malachi 2:17 Or them
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Malachi 1
Malachi 3
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