1 A prophecy:^(A) The word^(B) of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.^[a]

Israel Doubts God’s Love

² “I have loved^(C) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,^(D) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,^{(E) 3} but Esau I have hated,^(F) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland^(G) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.^(H)”

⁴ Edom^(I) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild^(J) the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.^(K) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.^{(L) 5} You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great^(M) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’^(N)

Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices

⁶ “A son honors his father,^(O) and a slave his master.^(P) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect^(Q) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.^(R)

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask,^(S) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “By offering defiled food^(T) on my altar.

“But you ask,^(U) ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table^(V) is contemptible. ⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,^(W) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased^(X) with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.^(Y)

⁹ “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings^(Z) from your hands, will he accept^(AA) you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

¹⁰ “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,^(AB) so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased^(AC) with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept^(AD) no offering^(AE) from your hands. ¹¹ My name will be great^(AF) among the nations,^(AG) from where the sun rises to where it sets.^(AH) In every place incense^(AI) and pure offerings^(AJ) will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

¹² “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table^(AK) is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food^(AL) is contemptible.’ ¹³ And you say, ‘What a burden!’^(AM) and you sniff at it contemptuously,^(AN)” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,^(AO) should I accept them from your hands?”^(AP) says the Lord. ¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal^(AQ) to the Lord. For I am a great king,^(AR)” says the Lord Almighty,^(AS) “and my name is to be feared^(AT) among the nations.^(AU)

Additional Warning to the Priests

2 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you.^{(A) 2} 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.

³ “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) 4} And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi^(H) may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant^(I) of life and peace,^(J) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence^(K) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction^(L) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked^(M) with me in peace^(N) and uprightness,^(O) and turned many from sin.^(P)

⁷ “For the lips of a priest^(Q) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger^(R) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.^{(S) 8} But you have turned from the way^(T) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;^(U) you have violated the covenant^(V) with Levi,”^(W) says the Lord Almighty. ⁹ “So I have caused you to be despised^(X) and humiliated^(Y) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality^(Z) in matters of the law.”^(AA)

Breaking Covenant Through Divorce

¹⁰ Do we not all have one Father^[b]?^(AB) Did not one God create us?^(AC) Why do we profane the covenant^(AD) of our ancestors by being unfaithful^(AE) to one another?

¹¹ Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable^(AF) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves^(AG) by marrying^(AH) women who worship a foreign god.^{(AI) 12} As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove^(AJ) him from the tents of Jacob^[c](AK)—even though he brings an offering^(AL) to the Lord Almighty.

¹³ Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.^(AM) You weep and wail^(AN) because he no longer looks with favor^(AO) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.^{(AP) 14} You ask,^(AQ) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness^(AR) between you and the wife of your youth.^(AS) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.^(AT)

¹⁵ Has not the one God made you?^(AU) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.^[d](AV) So be on your guard,^(AW) and do not be unfaithful^(AX) to the wife of your youth.

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

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

Breaking Covenant Through Injustice

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

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

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

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word,^(A) and the Word was with God,^(B) and the Word was God.^{(C) 2} He was with God in the beginning.^{(D) 3} Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.^{(E) 4} In him was life,^(F) and that life was the light^(G) of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness,^(H) and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.^(I)

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John.^{(J) 7} He came as a witness to testify^(K) concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.^{(L) 8} He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light^(M) that gives light to everyone^(N) was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,^(O) the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.^{(P) 12} Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed^(Q) in his name,^(R) he gave the right to become children of God^(S)— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.^(T)

¹⁴ The Word became flesh^(U) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,^(V) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace^(W) and truth.^(X)

¹⁵ (John testified^(Y) concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)^{(Z) 16} Out of his fullness^(AA) we have all received grace^(AB) in place of grace already given. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses;^(AC) grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^{(AD) 18} No one has ever seen God,^(AE) but the one and only Son, who is himself God and^[b](AF) is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

¹⁹ Now this was John’s^(AG) testimony when the Jewish leaders^[c](AH) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰ He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”^(AI)

²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”^(AJ)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”^(AK)

He answered, “No.”

²² Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,^(AL) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”^[d](AM)

²⁴ Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with^[e] water,”^(AN) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me,^(AO) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”^(AP)

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,^(AQ) where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(AR) who takes away the sin of the world!^{(AS) 30} This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’^{(AT) 31} I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.^{(AU) 33} And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water^(AV) told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’^{(AW) 34} I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”^[f](AX)

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus^(AY)

³⁵ The next day John^(AZ) was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”^(BA)

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”^(BB) (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).^{(BC) 42} And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called^(BD) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter^[g]).^(BE)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,^(BF) he said to him, “Follow me.”^(BG)

⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.^{(BH) 45} Philip found Nathanael^(BI) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,^(BJ) and about whom the prophets also wrote^(BK)—Jesus of Nazareth,^(BL) the son of Joseph.”^(BM)

⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”^(BN) Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite^(BO) in whom there is no deceit.”^(BP)

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi,^(BQ) you are the Son of God;^(BR) you are the king of Israel.”^(BS)

⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe^[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you,^[i] you^[j] will see ‘heaven open,^(BT) and the angels of God ascending and descending^(BU) on’^[k] the Son of Man.”^(BV)