God’s Love for Jacob

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

² “I have ^(C)loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I ^(D)have loved Jacob; ³ but I have hated Esau, and I have ^(E)made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” ⁴ Though Edom says, “We have been ^(F)beaten down, but we will ^[c](G)return and build up the ruins”; thus says the Lord of hosts, “They may ^(H)build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the ^[d]wicked territory, and the people ^[e]toward whom the Lord is indignant ^(I)forever.” ⁵ Your eyes will see this and you will say, “^(J)The Lord ^[f]be magnified beyond the ^[g]border of Israel!”

Sin of the Priests

⁶ “‘A son ^(K)honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a ^(L)father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My ^[h]respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O ^(M)priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ ⁷ You are presenting ^(N)defiled ^[i](O)food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The ^(P)table of the Lord is to be despised.’ ⁸ But when you present the ^(Q)blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? ^[j]Why not offer it to your ^(R)governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. ⁹ “But now ^[k]will you not ^(S)entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? ^[l]With such an offering on your part, will He ^(T)receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. ¹⁰ “Oh that there were one among you who would ^(U)shut the ^[m]gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of hosts, “^(V)nor will I accept an offering from ^[n]you. ¹¹ For from the ^(W)rising of the sun even to its setting, ^(X)My name will be ^(Y)great among the nations, and in every place ^(Z)incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be ^(AA)great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. ¹² “But you are ^(AB)profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ ¹³ You also say, ‘^[o]My, how ^(AC)tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by ^(AD)robbery and what is ^(AE)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I ^(AF)receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. ¹⁴ “But cursed be the ^(AG)swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a ^(AH)blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great ^(AI)King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is ^[p](AJ)feared among the ^[q]nations.”

Priests to Be Disciplined

2 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. ² If you do ^(AK)not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the ^(AL)curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have ^(AM)cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. ³ Behold, I am going to ^(AN)rebuke your ^[r]offspring, and I will ^(AO)spread ^[s]refuse on your faces, the ^[t]refuse of your ^(AP)feasts; and you will be taken away ^[u]with it. ⁴ Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, ^[v]that My ^(AQ)covenant may ^[w]continue with Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. ⁵ “My covenant with him was one of life and ^(AR)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of ^[x]reverence; so he ^[y](AS)revered Me and stood in awe of My name. ^6 [z](AT)True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked ^(AU)with Me in peace and uprightness, and he ^(AV)turned many back from iniquity. ⁷ For the lips of a priest should preserve ^(AW)knowledge, and ^[aa]men should ^(AX)seek ^[ab]instruction from his mouth; for he is the ^(AY)messenger of the Lord of hosts. ⁸ But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to ^(AZ)stumble ^[ac]by the instruction; you have ^[ad](BA)corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. ⁹ “So ^(BB)I also have made you despised and ^(BC)abased ^[ae]before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing ^(BD)partiality in the ^[af]instruction.

Sin in the Family

¹⁰ “Do we not all have ^(BE)one father? ^(BF)Has not one God created us? Why do we deal ^(BG)treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the ^(BH)covenant of our fathers? ¹¹ Judah has dealt ^(BI)treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has ^(BJ)profaned the sanctuary of the Lord ^[ag]which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. ¹² As for the man who does this, may the ^(BK)Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who ^(BL)presents ^[ah]an offering to the Lord of hosts.

¹³ “This is ^[ai]another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He ^(BM)no longer regards the ^[aj]offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. ¹⁴ Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the ^(BN)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt ^(BO)treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. ^15 [ak]But not one has ^(BP)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And ^[al]what did that one do while he was seeking a ^(BQ)godly ^[am]offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal ^(BR)treacherously against the wife of your youth. ¹⁶ For ^[an]I hate ^[ao](BS)divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and ^[ap]him who covers his garment with ^[aq](BT)wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

¹⁷ You have ^(BU)wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “^(BV)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He ^(BW)delights in them,” or, “^(BX)Where is the God of ^(BY)justice?”

The Purifier

3 “^(BZ)Behold, I am going to send ^(CA)My ^[ar]messenger, and he will ^[as](CB)clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; ^[at]and the ^[au](CC)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. ² “But who can ^(CD)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a ^(CE)refiner’s fire and like ^[av]fullers’ soap. ³ He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will ^(CF)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may ^(CG)present to the Lord ^[aw]offerings in righteousness. ⁴ Then the ^[ax]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be ^(CH)pleasing to the Lord as in the ^(CI)days of old and as in former years.

⁵ “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the ^(CJ)sorcerers and against the ^(CK)adulterers and against those who ^(CL)swear falsely, and against those who oppress the ^(CM)wage earner in his wages, the ^(CN)widow and the ^[ay]orphan, and those who turn aside the ^[az](CO)alien and do not ^[ba]fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts. ⁶ “For ^[bb]I, the Lord, ^(CP)do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, ^[bc]are not consumed.

⁷ “From the ^(CQ)days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. ^(CR)Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

You Have Robbed God

⁸ “Will a man ^[bd]rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In ^(CS)tithes and ^[be]offerings. ⁹ You are ^(CT)cursed with a curse, for you are ^[bf]robbing Me, the whole nation of you! ^10 (CU)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be ^[bg]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not ^(CV)open for you the windows of heaven and ^(CW)pour out for you a blessing until ^[bh](CX)it overflows. ¹¹ Then I will rebuke the ^(CY)devourer for you, so that it will not ^[bi]destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. ¹² “^(CZ)All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a ^(DA)delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.

¹³ “Your words have been ^[bj]arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ ¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is ^(DB)vain to serve God; and what ^(DC)profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? ¹⁵ So now we ^(DD)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and ^(DE)escape.’”

The Book of Remembrance

¹⁶ Then those who ^[bk]feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord ^(DF)gave attention and heard it, and a ^(DG)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who ^[bl]fear the Lord and who esteem His name. ¹⁷ “They will be ^(DH)Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the ^(DI)day that I ^[bm]prepare My ^[bn](DJ)own possession, and I will ^[bo]spare them as a man ^[bp](DK)spares his own son who serves him.” ¹⁸ So you will again ^(DL)distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Final Admonition

4 “^[bq]For behold, the day is coming, ^(DM)burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be ^(DN)chaff; and the day that is coming will ^(DO)set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” ² “But for you who ^[br]fear My name, the ^(DP)sun of righteousness will rise with ^(DQ)healing in its wings; and you will go forth and ^(DR)skip about like calves from the stall. ³ You will ^(DS)tread down the wicked, for they will be ^(DT)ashes under the soles of your feet ^(DU)on the day ^[bs]which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts.

⁴ “^[bt](DV)Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “Behold, I am going to send you ^(DW)Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. ⁶ He will ^[bu](DX)restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and ^(DY)smite the land with a ^[bv]curse.”

The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed.

The Fifth Trumpet—the Bottomless Pit

9 Then the ^(A)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(B)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(C)key of the ^[a](D)bottomless pit was given to him. ² He opened the ^[b]bottomless pit, and ^(E)smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(F)the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(G)locusts ^[c]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(H)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(I)hurt the ^(J)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the ^(K)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[d]they were not permitted to kill ^[e]anyone, but to torment for ^(L)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(M)scorpion when it ^[f]stings a man. ⁶ And in those days ^(N)men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

⁷ The ^[g](O)appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. ⁸ They had hair like the hair of women, and their ^(P)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(Q)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(R)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(S)tails is their power to hurt men for ^(T)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(U)abyss; his name in ^(V)Hebrew is ^[h](W)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[i]Apollyon.

^12 (X)The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet—Army from the East

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard ^[j]a voice from the ^[k]four ^(Y)horns of the ^(Z)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(AA)four angels who are bound at the ^(AB)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(AC)released, so that they would kill a ^(AD)third of ^[l]mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(AE)two hundred million; ^(AF)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And ^[m]this is how I saw ^(AG)in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of ^[n](AH)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(AI)out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and ^[o](AJ)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(AK)third of ^[p]mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(AL)fire and the smoke and the ^[q]brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

²⁰ The rest of ^[r]mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(AM)did not repent of ^(AN)the works of their hands, so as not to ^(AO)worship demons, and ^(AP)the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(AQ)did not repent of their murders nor of their ^(AR)sorceries nor of their ^(AS)immorality nor of their thefts.