Malachi 1 - Matthew 4
New King James Version
Polluted Offerings to God
1 The [a]burden of the word of the Lord to Israel [b]by Malachi.
Israel Beloved of God
2 “I(A) have loved you,” says the Lord.
“Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the Lord.
“Yet (B)Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated,
And (C)laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”
4 Even though Edom has said,
“We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,”
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They may build, but I will (D)throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
(E)‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
Polluted Offerings
6 “A son (F)honors his father,
And a servant his master.
(G)If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the Lord of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
(H)Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
7 “You offer (I)defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
(J)‘The table of the Lord is [c]contemptible.’
8 And (K)when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he (L)accept[d] you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
(M)While this is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
10 “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
(N)So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
(O)“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For (P)from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great (Q)among the Gentiles;
(R)In every place (S)incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
(T)For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
12 “But you profane it,
In that you say,
(U)‘The table of the [e]Lord is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
13 You also say,
‘Oh, what a (V)weariness!’
And you sneer at it,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
(W)Should I accept this from your hand?”
Says the Lord.
14 “But cursed be (X)the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow,
But sacrifices to the Lord (Y)what is blemished—
For (Z)I am a great King,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“And My name is to be feared among the nations.
Corrupt Priests
2 “And now, O (AA)priests, this commandment is for you.
2 (AB)If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them (AC)already,
Because you do not take it to heart.
3 “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants
And spread (AD)refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will (AE)take you away [f]with it.
4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
5 “My(AF) covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him (AG)that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.
6 (AH)The[g] law of truth was in his mouth,
And [h]injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity,
And (AI)turned many away from iniquity.
7 “For(AJ) the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
(AK)For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But you have departed from the way;
You (AL)have caused many to stumble at the law.
(AM)You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “Therefore (AN)I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown (AO)partiality in the law.”
Treachery of Infidelity
10 (AP)Have we not all one Father?
(AQ)Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
11 Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has (AR)profaned
The Lord’s holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being [i]awake and aware,
Yet (AS)who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness
Between you and (AT)the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
(AU)Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
15 But (AV)did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks (AW)godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
16 “For (AX)the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
17 (AY)You have wearied the Lord with your words;
Yet you say,
“In what way have we wearied Him?”
In that you say,
(AZ)“Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the Lord,
And He delights in them,”
Or, “Where is the God of justice?”
The Coming Messenger
3 “Behold, (BA)I send My messenger,
And he will (BB)prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
(BC)Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, (BD)He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
2 “But who can endure (BE)the day of His coming?
And (BF)who can stand when He appears?
For (BG)He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.
3 (BH)He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And [j]purge them as gold and silver,
That they may (BI)offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.
4 “Then (BJ)the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be [k]pleasant to the Lord,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
5 And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
(BK)Against perjurers,
Against those who (BL)exploit wage earners and (BM)widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
6 “For I am the Lord, (BN)I do not change;
(BO)Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
7 Yet from the days of (BP)your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
(BQ)Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
(BR)“But you said,
‘In what way shall we return?’
Do Not Rob God
8 “Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
(BS)In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
10 (BT)Bring all the tithes into the (BU)storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the (BV)windows of heaven
And (BW)pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 “And I will rebuke (BX)the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of hosts;
12 “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be (BY)a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
The People Complain Harshly
13 “Your(BZ) words have been [l]harsh against Me,”
Says the Lord,
“Yet you say,
‘What have we spoken against You?’
14 (CA)You have said,
‘It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the Lord of hosts?
15 So now (CB)we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are [m]raised up;
They even (CC)tempt God and go free.’ ”
A Book of Remembrance
16 Then those (CD)who feared the Lord (CE)spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So (CF)a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who [n]meditate on His name.
17 “They(CG) shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My (CH)jewels.[o]
And (CI)I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
18 (CJ)Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
The Great Day of God
4 “For behold, (CK)the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all (CL)the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be (CM)stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will (CN)leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But to you who (CO)fear My name
The (CP)Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
3 (CQ)You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
4 “Remember the (CR)Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With (CS)the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you (CT)Elijah the prophet
(CU)Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
6 And (CV)he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and (CW)strike the earth with (CX)a curse.”
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ(CY)
1 The book of the (CZ)genealogy[p] of Jesus Christ, (DA)the Son of David, (DB)the Son of Abraham:
2 (DC)Abraham begot Isaac, (DD)Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot (DE)Judah and his brothers. 3 (DF)Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, (DG)Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot (DH)Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and (DI)Jesse begot David the king.
(DJ)David the king begot Solomon by her [q]who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 (DK)Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot (DL)Abijah, and Abijah begot [r]Asa. 8 Asa begot (DM)Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot (DN)Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot (DO)Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 (DP)Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot [s]Amon, and Amon begot (DQ)Josiah. 11 (DR)Josiah begot [t]Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were (DS)carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, (DT)Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot (DU)Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of (DV)Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
Christ Born of Mary(DW)
18 Now the (DX)birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child (DY)of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being [u]a just man, and not wanting (DZ)to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, (EA)for that which is [v]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 (EB)And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name [w]Jesus, (EC)for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 (ED)“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and [x]did not know her till she had brought forth (EE)her[y] firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Wise Men from the East
2 Now after (EF)Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [z]wise men (EG)from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, (EH)“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen (EI)His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all (EJ)the chief priests and (EK)scribes of the people together, (EL)he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But(EM) you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
(EN)Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the [aa]wise men, determined from them what time the (EO)star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, (EP)they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned (EQ)in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The Flight into Egypt
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, (ER)“Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Massacre of the Innocents
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A (ES)voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
The Home in Nazareth(ET)
19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 (EU)saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who (EV)sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a (EW)dream, he turned aside (EX)into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called (EY)Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled (EZ)which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(FA)
3 In those days (FB)John the Baptist came preaching (FC)in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for (FD)the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
(FE)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(FF)‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
4 Now (FG)John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was (FH)locusts and (FI)wild honey. 5 (FJ)Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 (FK)and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (FL)“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from (FM)the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, (FN)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. (FO)Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 (FP)I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. (FQ)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [ab]and fire. 12 (FR)His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will (FS)burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John Baptizes Jesus(FT)
13 (FU)Then Jesus came (FV)from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 (FW)When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and [ac]He saw (FX)the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 (FY)And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, (FZ)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Satan Tempts Jesus(GA)
4 Then (GB)Jesus was led up by (GC)the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, (GD)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took Him up (GE)into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
(GF)‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
(GG)‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, (GH)‘You shall not [ad]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and (GI)showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, [ae]“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, (GJ)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil (GK)left Him, and behold, (GL)angels came and ministered to Him.
Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry(GM)
12 (GN)Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The(GO) land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 (GP)The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
17 (GQ)From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, (GR)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven [af]is at hand.”
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples(GS)
18 (GT)And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon (GU)called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and (GV)I will make you fishers of men.” 20 (GW)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 (GX)Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude(GY)
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, (GZ)teaching in their synagogues, preaching (HA)the gospel of the kingdom, (HB)and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then [ag]His fame went throughout all Syria; and they (HC)brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 (HD)Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from [ah]Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Malachi 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Malachi 1:1 Lit. by the hand of
- Malachi 1:7 Or to be despised
- Malachi 1:8 Lit. lift up your face
- Malachi 1:12 So with Bg.; MT Lord
- Malachi 2:3 Lit. to it
- Malachi 2:6 Or True instruction
- Malachi 2:6 Or unrighteousness
- Malachi 2:12 Talmud, Vg. teacher and student
- Malachi 3:3 Or refine
- Malachi 3:4 pleasing
- Malachi 3:13 Lit. strong
- Malachi 3:15 Lit. built
- Malachi 3:16 Or esteem
- Malachi 3:17 Lit. special treasure
- Matthew 1:1 Lit. generation
- Matthew 1:6 Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Greek.
- Matthew 1:7 NU Asaph
- Matthew 1:10 NU Amos
- Matthew 1:11 Or Coniah or Jehoiachin
- Matthew 1:19 an upright
- Matthew 1:20 Lit. begotten
- Matthew 1:21 Lit. Savior
- Matthew 1:25 Kept her a virgin
- Matthew 1:25 NU a Son
- Matthew 2:1 Gr. magoi
- Matthew 2:7 Gr. magoi
- Matthew 3:11 M omits and fire
- Matthew 3:16 Or he
- Matthew 4:7 test
- Matthew 4:10 M Get behind Me
- Matthew 4:17 has drawn near
- Matthew 4:24 Lit. the report of Him
- Matthew 4:25 Lit. Ten Cities
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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