1 An oracle. The word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.^[a]

Israel Preferred to Edom

² “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” says the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,^{(A) 3} but I have hated Esau; I have made his hill country a desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals.^{(B) 4} If Edom says, ‘We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,’ the Lord of hosts says: They may build, but I will tear down, until they are called the wicked country, the people with whom the Lord is angry forever. ⁵ Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, ‘Great is the Lord beyond the borders of Israel!’ ”^(C)

Corruption of the Priesthood

⁶ A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is the honor due me? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. You say, “How have we despised your name?”^{(D) 7} By offering polluted food on my altar. And you say, “How have we polluted it?”^[b] By thinking that the Lord’s table may be despised.^{(E) 8} When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not wrong? Try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.^{(F) 9} And now implore the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. The fault is yours. Will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.^{(G) 10} Oh, that someone among you would shut the temple^[c] doors, so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hands.^{(H) 11} For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure offering, for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.^{(I) 12} But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted and its food^[d] may be despised. ¹³ “What a weariness this is,” you say, and you sniff at it,^[e] says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord.^{(J) 14} Cursed be the cheat who has a male in the flock and vows to give it and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished, for I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is reverenced among the nations.^(K)

5 For we know that, if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.^{(A) 2} For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³ for surely when we have been clothed in it^[a] we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan under our burden because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.^{(B) 5} The one who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a down payment.^(C)

⁶ So we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— ⁷ for we walk by faith, not by sight.^{(D) 8} Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. ¹⁰ For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive due recompense for actions done in the body, whether good or evil.^(E)