Malachi 1
Good News Translation
1 This is the message that the Lord gave Malachi to tell the people of Israel.
The Lord's Love for Israel
2 (A)The Lord says to his people, “I have always loved you.”
But they reply, “How have you shown your love for us?”
The Lord answers, “Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants, 3 and have hated Esau and his descendants. I have devastated Esau's hill country and abandoned the land to jackals.”
4 If Esau's descendants, the Edomites, say, “Our towns have been destroyed, but we will rebuild them,” then the Lord will reply, “Let them rebuild—I will tear them down again. People will call them ‘The evil country’ and ‘The nation with whom the Lord is angry forever.’”
5 The people of Israel are going to see this with their own eyes, and they will say, “The Lord is mighty even outside the land of Israel!”
The Lord Reprimands the Priests
6 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, “Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father—why don't you honor me? I am your master—why don't you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, ‘How have we despised you?’ 7 This is how—by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, ‘How have we failed to respect you?’ I will tell you—by showing contempt for my altar. 8 (B)When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there's nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to the governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?”
9 Now, you priests, try asking God to be good to us. He will not answer your prayer, and it will be your fault. 10 The Lord Almighty says, “I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so as to prevent you from lighting useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you; I will not accept the offerings you bring me. 11 People from one end of the world to the other honor me. Everywhere they burn incense to me and offer acceptable sacrifices. All of them honor me! 12 But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. 13 You say, ‘How tired we are of all this!’ and you turn up your nose at me. As your offering to me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you? 14 A curse on the cheater who sacrifices a worthless animal to me, when he has in his flock a good animal that he promised to give me! For I am a great king, and people of all nations fear me.”
Malachi 1
International Standard Version
God’s First Complaint: Against His People—A Despised Love
1 A declaration: a message from the Lord to Israel by Malachi.[a]
2 “I’ve loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord, “yet I loved Jacob, 3 hated Esau, turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave[b] his inheritance to desert jackals. 4 Even though Edom may claim, ‘We were crushed, but we will return and rebuild the ruins,’ this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: “They may rebuild, but I’ll demolish. People[c] will call them, ‘The Wicked Land,’ and, ‘The People With Whom the Lord is Forever Angry.’ 5 Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘Great is the Lord even beyond the borders of Israel!’”
God’s Second Complaint: Against His Priests—A Despised Offering
6 “A son honors his father and a servant his master. So if I’m a father, where is my honor? And if I’m a master, where is my respect?” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies to you priests who are despising my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By presenting defiled food on my altar. And you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying, ‘The Table of the Lord is contemptible.’ 8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals,[d] is that not wrong? Offer that to your governor—would he be pleased with you or receive you favorably?” asks the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 9 “And now, go ahead and implore God by saying, ‘Be gracious to us.’ Will he receive you favorably and accept offerings like that from your hand?” asks the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
Useless Offerings and Useless Altar Fires
10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the Temple[e] doors and not light useless fires on the altar! I’m not pleased with you,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and I’ll accept no offerings from you.[f] 11 Even so, from where the sun rises to where it sets my name will be great among the Gentiles. Incense will be brought to me[g] everywhere, along with pure offerings, because my name will be great among the Gentiles,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 12 “But you are profaning my name[h] by saying that the Table of the Lord is defiled and that its fruit and its food are contemptible.
13 “And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and sniff contemptuously at it,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “when you present maimed, crippled, and diseased animals,[i] and when you bring the offering. Should I accept this from your hand?” asks the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable[j] male in his flock, and vows to give it,[k] but sacrifices a mutilated one to the Lord. Indeed, I am a great king,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and my name is feared among the Gentiles.”
Footnotes
- Malachi 1:1 The Heb. name Malachi means My messenger
- Malachi 1:3 The Heb. lacks gave
- Malachi 1:4 Lit. they
- Malachi 1:8 The Heb. lacks animals
- Malachi 1:10 The Heb. lacks temple
- Malachi 1:10 Lit. from your hands
- Malachi 1:11 Lit. to my name
- Malachi 1:12 Lit. it
- Malachi 1:13 The Heb. lacks animals
- Malachi 1:14 The Heb. lacks acceptable
- Malachi 1:14 The Heb. lacks to give it
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
