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
- Malachi 2:3 Lit seed
- Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
- Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
- Malachi 2:3 Lit to
- Malachi 2:4 Or to be My covenant with
- Malachi 2:4 Lit be
- Malachi 2:5 Or fear
- Malachi 2:5 Or feared
- Malachi 2:6 Or Law of truth
- Malachi 2:7 Or the Law
- Malachi 2:8 Or in the Law
- Malachi 2:9 Lit to
- Malachi 2:9 Or law
- Malachi 2:11 Or in that he has loved and married
- Malachi 2:12 Or a grain offering
- Malachi 2:13 Lit a second
- Malachi 2:13 Or grain offering
- Malachi 2:15 Or Did He not make one, although He had the remnant
- Malachi 2:15 Or what did the one do while he was seeking
- Malachi 2:16 Lit He hates
- Malachi 2:16 Lit sending away
- Malachi 2:16 Lit he covers
Malachi 2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
2 And now, O priests, this command is for you. 2 If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings; indeed, I have already cursed them[a] because you do not lay it to heart.(A) 3 I will rebuke your offspring and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my presence.[b]
4 Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the Lord of hosts.(B) 5 My covenant with him was a covenant of life and well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.(C) 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.(D) 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.(E) 8 But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts,(F) 9 so I make you despised and humbled before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction.(G)
The Covenant Profaned by Judah
10 Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?(H) 11 Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.(I) 12 For the one who does this, may the Lord cut off any witness[c] or advocate from the tents of Jacob or anyone who could bring an offering to the Lord of hosts.(J)
13 And this you do as well: You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand. 14 You ask, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.(K) 15 Did God[d] not make them one, flesh with spirit in it? And what does the one desire? Godly offspring. So look to yourselves, and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth.[e](L) 16 For I hate[f] divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”(M)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.