Malachi 1
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachias.
2 I have loved you, saith the Lord: and you have said: Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau brother to Jacob, saith the Lord, and I have loved Jacob,
3 But have hated Esau? and I have made his mountains a wilderness, and given his inheritance to the dragons of the desert.
4 But if Edom shall say: We are destroyed, but we will return and build up what hath been destroyed: thus saith the Lord of hosts: They shall build up, and I will throw down: and they shall be called the borders of wickedness, and the people with whom the Lord is angry for ever.
5 And your eyes shall see, and you shall say: The Lord be magnified upon the border of Israel.
6 The son honoureth the father, and the servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts.
7 To you, O priests, that despise my name, and have said: Wherein have we despised thy name? You offer polluted bread upon my altar, and you say: Wherein have we polluted thee? In that you say: The table of the Lord is contemptible.
8 If you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? offer it to thy prince, if he will be pleased with it, or if he will regard thy face, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 And now beseech ye the face of God, that he may have mercy on you, (for by your hand hath this been done,) if by any means he will receive your faces, saith the Lord of hosts.
10 Who is there among you, that will shut the doors, and will kindle the fire on my altar gratis? I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will not receive a gift of your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And you have profaned it in that you say: The table of the Lord is defiled: and that which is laid thereupon is contemptible with the fire that devoureth it.
13 And you have said: Behold of our labour, and you puffed it away, saith the Lord of hosts, and you brought in of rapine the lame, and the sick, and brought in an offering: shall I accept it at your hands, saith the Lord?
14 Cursed is the deceitful man that hath in his flock a male, and making a vow offereth in sacrifice that which is feeble to the Lord: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the Gentiles.
Malachi 1
King James Version
1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2 I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.
5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel.
6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.
9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts.
10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.
13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.
14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
Malachi 1
English Standard Version
1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.[a]
The Lord's Love for Israel
2 (A)“I have loved you,” says the Lord. (B)But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau (C)Jacob's brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet (D)I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. (E)I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” 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, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” 5 (F)Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!”
The Priests' Polluted Offerings
6 (G)“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am (H)a father, where is my honor? And if I am (I)a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. (J)But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 (K)By offering polluted food upon my altar. (L)But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that (M)the Lord's table may be despised. 8 (N)When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9 And now (O)entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, (P)will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10 (Q)Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, (R)and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name (S)will be[b] great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name (T)will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that (U)the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food, may be despised. 13 But you say, (V)‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. (W)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. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has (X)a male in his flock, and (Y)vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For (Z)I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name (AA)will be feared among the nations.
Footnotes
- Malachi 1:1 Malachi means my messenger
- Malachi 1:11 Or is (three times in verse 11; also verse 14)
Malachi 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 1
1 [a]An oracle. The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.
Israel Preferred to Edom
2 (A)I love you, says the Lord;
but you say, “How do you love us?”
3 [b](B)Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?—oracle of the Lord.
I loved Jacob, but rejected Esau;
I made his mountains a waste,
his heritage a desert for jackals.
4 (C)If Edom says, “We have been crushed,
but we will rebuild the ruins,”
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
They indeed may build, but I will tear down,
And they shall be called “territory of wickedness,”
the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.
5 (D)Your own eyes will see it, and you will say,
“Great is the Lord, even beyond the territory of Israel.”
Offense in Sacrifice and Priestly Duty
6 (E)A son honors his father,
and a servant fears his master;
If, then, I am a father,
where is the honor due to me?
And if I am a master,
where is the fear due to me?
So says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests,
who disdain my name.
But you ask, “How have we disdained your name?”
7 By offering defiled food on my altar!
You ask, “How have we defiled it?”
By saying that the table of the Lord may be disdained!
8 [c](F)When you offer a blind animal for sacrifice,
is there no wrong in that?
When you offer a lame or sick animal,
is there no wrong in that?
Present it to your governor!
Will he be pleased with you—or show you favor?
says the Lord of hosts.
9 So now implore God’s favor, that he may have mercy on us!
You are the ones who have done this;
Will he show favor to any of you?
says the Lord of hosts.
10 [d]Oh, that one of you would just shut the temple gates
to keep you from kindling fire on my altar in vain!
I take no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts;
and I will not accept any offering from your hands!
11 (G)From the rising of the sun to its setting,
my name is great among the nations;
Incense offerings are made to my name everywhere,
and a pure offering;
For my name is great among the nations,
says the Lord of hosts.
12 But you profane it by saying
that the Lord’s table is defiled,
and its food may be disdained.
13 You say, “See what a burden this is!”
and you exasperate me, says the Lord of hosts;
You bring in what is mutilated, or lame, or sick;
you bring it as an offering!
Will I accept it from your hands?
says the Lord.
14 Cursed is the cheat who has in his flock an intact male,
and vows it, but sacrifices to the Lord a defective one instead;
For a great king am I, says the Lord of hosts,
and my name is feared among the nations.
Footnotes
- 1:1 See note on Zec 9:1.
- 1:3–5 The thought passes from the person Esau to his descendants, Edom, and from the person Jacob to his descendants, Israel; cf. Gn 25:21–23. In the New Testament, Paul uses this passage as an example of God’s freedom of choice in calling the Gentiles to faith (Rom 9:13).
- 1:8 The sacrificial offering of a lame, sick, or blind animal was forbidden in the law (Lv 22:17–25; Dt 17:1).
- 1:10–11 The imperfect sacrifices offered by the people of Judah are displeasing to the Lord. Kindling fire on my altar: kindle the altar fire for sacrifice. In contrast, the Lord is pleased with the sacrifices offered by other peoples in other places (the rising of the sun: the far east; its setting: the far west). Since the people of other nations could not be expected to know the Lord’s name as did the people of Judah, the rhetorical purpose of this statement is to shame the latter. Incense offerings: in the ancient world, the hallmark of an offering made to a god was the smoke it produced on an altar. In the Old Testament, this was true not only of animals (Lv 8:20–21) but also of incense (Ex 30:7), suet (Lv 3:11), and grain offerings (Lv 6:8). In a Christian interpretation of Mal 1:10–11, the “pure offering” of Mal 1:11 is seen as a reference to sacrifice in the Messianic Age. The Council of Trent endorsed this interpretation (DS 1724).
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