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Malachi 1-4
New American Standard Bible

God’s Love for Jacob

1 The (A)pronouncement of the word of the Lord to (B)Israel through [a]Malachi:

2 “I have (C)loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was Esau not 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 given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been (F)beaten down, but we will [b](G)return and build up the ruins”; this is what the Lord of armies says: “They may (H)build, but I will tear down; and people will call them the [c]territory of wickedness, and the people [d]with whom the Lord is indignant (I)forever.” 5 And your eyes will see this, and you will say, “(J)The Lord [e]be exalted beyond the [f]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 [g]respect?’ says the Lord of armies to you, the (M)priests who despise My name! But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 You are presenting (N)defiled [h](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 And when you present a (Q)blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your (R)governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of armies. 9 “But now, do indeed (S)plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us. [i]With such an offering on your part, will He (T)receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of armies. 10 “If only there were one among you who would (U)shut the [j]gates, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar for nothing! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of armies, “(V)nor will I accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the (W)rising of the sun even to its setting, (X)My name shall be (Y)great among the nations, and in every place (Z)frankincense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name shall be (AA)great among the nations,” says the Lord of armies. 12 “But you are (AB)profaning it by your saying, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ 13 You also say, ‘See, [k]how (AC)tiresome it is!’ And you view it as trivial,” says the Lord of armies, “and you bring what was taken by (AD)robbery and what is (AE)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I (AF)accept it 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 armies, “and My name is [l](AJ)feared among the [m]nations.”

Priests to Be Disciplined

2 “And now, this commandment is for you, the 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 armies, “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 [n]descendants, and I will (AO)spread [o]dung on your faces, the [p]dung of your (AP)feasts; and you will be taken away [q]with it. 4 Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, [r]so that My (AQ)covenant may [s]continue with Levi,” says the Lord of armies. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and (AR)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of [t]reverence; so he [u](AS)revered Me and was in awe of My name. 6 [v](AT)True instruction was in his mouth and injustice was not found on his lips; he walked (AU)with Me in peace and justice, and he (AV)turned many back from wrongdoing. 7 For the lips of a priest should maintain (AW)knowledge, and people should (AX)seek [w]instruction from his mouth; for he is the (AY)messenger of the Lord of armies. 8 But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to (AZ)stumble [x]by the instruction; you have (BA)ruined the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of armies. 9 “So (BB)I also have made you despised and of (BC)low reputation [y]in the view of all the people, since you are not keeping My ways but are showing (BD)partiality in the [z]instruction.”

Sin in the Family

10 Do we not all have (BE)one Father? (BF)Is it not one God who has 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 [aa]which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the (BK)Lord eliminate from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and answers, or who (BL)presents [ab]an offering to the Lord of armies.

13 And this is [ac]another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He (BM)no longer gives attention to the [ad]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 marriage companion and your wife by covenant. 15 [ae]But not one has (BP)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And [af]why the one? He was seeking a (BQ)godly offspring. Be careful then about your spirit, and see that none of you deals (BR)treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 “For [ag]I hate [ah](BS)divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and [ai]him who covers his garment with (BT)violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about 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 sending (CA)My [aj]messenger, and he will (CB)clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; [ak]and the [al](CC)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies. 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 launderer’s soap. 3 And 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 [am]offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the [an]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 come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (CJ)sorcerers, the (CK)adulterers, against those who (CL)swear falsely, those who [ao]oppress the (CM)wage earner in his wages or the (CN)widow or the [ap]orphan, and those who turn away the (CO)stranger from justice and do not [aq]fear Me,” says the Lord of armies. 6 “For [ar]I, the Lord, (CP)do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.

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

You Have Robbed God

8 “Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In (CS)tithes and [as]offerings. 9 You are (CT)cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the entire nation of you! 10 (CU)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and put Me to the test now in this,” says the Lord of armies, “if I do not (CV)open for you the windows of heaven and (CW)pour out for you a blessing until [at](CX)it overflows. 11 Then I will rebuke the (CY)devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruit of your ground; nor will the vine in the field prove fruitless to you,” says the Lord of armies. 12 “(CZ)All the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a (DA)delightful land,” says the Lord of armies.

13 “Your words have been [au]arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is (DB)pointless to serve God; and what (DC)benefit is it for us that we have done what He required, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of armies? 15 So now we (DD)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also put God to the test and (DE)escape punishment.’”

The Book of Remembrance

16 Then those who [av]feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord (DF)listened attentively and heard it, and a (DG)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who [aw]fear the Lord and esteem His name. 17 “And they will be (DH)Mine,” says the Lord of armies, “on the (DI)day that I [ax]prepare My (DJ)own possession, and I will have compassion for them just as a man (DK)has compassion for 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 “[ay]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 armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branches. 2 But for you who [az]fear My name, the (DP)sun of righteousness will rise with (DQ)healing in its wings; and you will go forth and (DR)frolic like calves from the stall. 3 And you will (DS)crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be (DT)ashes under the soles of your feet (DU)on the day [ba]that I am preparing,” says the Lord of armies.

4 “(DV)Remember the Law of Moses My servant, 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 (DX)turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and (DY)strike the land with complete destruction.”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 1:1 Or My messenger
  2. Malachi 1:4 Or rebuild the ruins
  3. Malachi 1:4 Lit border of wickedness
  4. Malachi 1:4 Or whom the Lord has cursed
  5. Malachi 1:5 Or will be great
  6. Malachi 1:5 Or territory
  7. Malachi 1:6 Lit fear
  8. Malachi 1:7 Lit bread
  9. Malachi 1:9 Lit This has been from your hand
  10. Malachi 1:10 Or doors
  11. Malachi 1:13 Lit it is hardship
  12. Malachi 1:14 Or revered
  13. Malachi 1:14 Or Gentiles
  14. Malachi 2:3 Lit seed
  15. Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
  16. Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
  17. Malachi 2:3 Lit to
  18. Malachi 2:4 Or to be My covenant with
  19. Malachi 2:4 Lit be
  20. Malachi 2:5 Or fear
  21. Malachi 2:5 Or feared
  22. Malachi 2:6 Or Law of truth
  23. Malachi 2:7 Or the Law
  24. Malachi 2:8 Or in the Law
  25. Malachi 2:9 Lit to
  26. Malachi 2:9 Or law
  27. Malachi 2:11 Or in that he has loved and married
  28. Malachi 2:12 Or a grain offering
  29. Malachi 2:13 Lit a second
  30. Malachi 2:13 Or grain offering
  31. Malachi 2:15 Or Did He not make one, although He had the remnant
  32. Malachi 2:15 Or what did the one do while he was seeking
  33. Malachi 2:16 Lit He hates
  34. Malachi 2:16 Lit sending away
  35. Malachi 2:16 Lit he covers
  36. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  37. Malachi 3:1 Or that is, the
  38. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  39. Malachi 3:3 Or grain offerings
  40. Malachi 3:4 Or grain offering
  41. Malachi 3:5 Or exploit
  42. Malachi 3:5 Or fatherless
  43. Malachi 3:5 Or revere
  44. Malachi 3:6 Or I am the Lord; I do not
  45. Malachi 3:8 Or contributions
  46. Malachi 3:10 Or there is not room enough
  47. Malachi 3:13 Lit strong
  48. Malachi 3:16 Or revere(d)
  49. Malachi 3:16 Or revere(d)
  50. Malachi 3:17 Lit make
  51. Malachi 4:1 Ch 3:19 in Heb
  52. Malachi 4:2 Or revere
  53. Malachi 4:3 Or when I act
Close NLT

Malachi 1-4
New Living Translation

1 This is the message[a] that the Lord gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi.[b]

The Lord’s Love for Israel

2 “I have always loved you,” says the Lord.

But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?”

And the Lord replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, 3 but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”

4 Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, “We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.”

But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies replies, “They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’ 5 When you see the destruction for yourselves, you will say, ‘Truly, the Lord’s greatness reaches far beyond Israel’s borders!’”

Unworthy Sacrifices

6 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!

“But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

7 “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.

“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?[c]’

“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. 8 When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

9 “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

10 “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. 11 But my name is honored[d] by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer[e] sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

12 “But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. 13 You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.

14 “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!

A Warning to the Priests

2 “Listen, you priests—this command is for you! 2 Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. 3 I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile. 4 Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.

7 “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my instructions.”

A Call to Faithfulness

10 Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors?

11 Judah has been unfaithful, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. The men of Judah have defiled the Lord’s beloved sanctuary by marrying women who worship idols. 12 May the Lord cut off from the nation of Israel[f] every last man who has done this and yet brings an offering to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. 14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.

15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.[g] And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce!”[h] says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,[i]” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

You have wearied him by saying that all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight, and he is pleased with them. You have wearied him by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

The Coming Day of Judgment

3 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.

5 “At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

A Call to Repentance

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’

8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.[j] Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord.

“But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? 15 From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”

The Lord’s Promise of Mercy

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

17 “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

The Coming Day of Judgment

4 [k]The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.

2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.[l] And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

4 “Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai[m] for all Israel.

5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Footnotes

  1. 1:1a Hebrew An Oracle: The message.
  2. 1:1b Malachi means “my messenger.”
  3. 1:7 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads defiled you?
  4. 1:11a Or will be honored.
  5. 1:11b Or will offer.
  6. 2:12 Hebrew from the tents of Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
  7. 2:15 Or Didn’t the one Lord make us and preserve our life and breath? or Didn’t the one Lord make her, both flesh and spirit? The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  8. 2:16a Hebrew For he hates divorcing.
  9. 2:16b Hebrew to cover one’s garment with violence.
  10. 3:11 Hebrew from the devourer.
  11. 4:1 Verses 4:1-6 are numbered 3:19-24 in Hebrew text.
  12. 4:2 Or the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.
  13. 4:4 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
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