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Malachi 1:6-14
New English Translation

The Sacrilege of Priestly Service

6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects[a] his master. If I am your[b] father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’ 7 You are offering improper sacrifices on my altar, yet you ask, ‘How have we offended you?’ By treating the table[c] of the Lord as if it is of no importance. 8 For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick,[d] is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them[e] to your governor! Will he be pleased with you[f] or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “But now plead for God’s favor[g] that he might be gracious to us.”[h] “With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

10 “I wish that one of you would close the temple doors,[i] so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will no longer accept an offering from you. 11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,”[j] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common and its offerings[k] despicable. 13 You also say, ‘How tiresome it is.’ You turn up your nose at it,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and instead bring what is stolen, lame, or sick. You bring these things for an offering! Should I accept this from you?”[l] asks the Lord. 14 “There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,”[m] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 1:6 tn The verb “respects” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. It is understood by ellipsis (see “honors” in the preceding line).
  2. Malachi 1:6 tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).
  3. Malachi 1:7 sn The word table, here a synonym for “altar,” has overtones of covenant imagery in which a feast shared by the covenant partners was an important element (see Exod 24:11). It also draws attention to the analogy of sitting down at a common meal with the governor (v. 8).
  4. Malachi 1:8 sn Offerings of animals that were lame or sick were strictly forbidden by the Mosaic law (see Deut 15:21).
  5. Malachi 1:8 tn Heb “it” (so NAB, NASB). Contemporary English more naturally uses a plural pronoun to agree with “the lame and sick” in the previous question (cf. NIV, NCV).
  6. Malachi 1:8 tc The LXX and Vulgate read “with it” (which in Hebrew would be הֲיִרְצֵהוּ, hayirtsehu, a reading followed by NAB) rather than “with you” of the MT (הֲיִרְצְךָ, hayirtsekha). The MT (followed here by most English versions) is to be preferred because of the parallel with the following phrase פָנֶיךָ (fanekha, “receive you,” which the present translation renders as “show you favor”).
  7. Malachi 1:9 tn Heb “seek the face of God.”
  8. Malachi 1:9 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunction indicates purpose (cf. NASB, NRSV).
  9. Malachi 1:10 sn The rhetorical language suggests that as long as the priesthood and people remain disobedient, the temple doors may as well be closed because God is not “at home” to receive them or their worship there.
  10. Malachi 1:11 sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.
  11. Malachi 1:12 tn Heb “fruit.” The following word “food” in the Hebrew text (אָכְלוֹ, ʾokhlo) appears to be an explanatory gloss to clarify the meaning of the rare word נִיב (niv, “fruit”; see Isa 57:19 Qere; נוֹב, nov, “fruit,” in Kethib). Cf. ASV “the fruit thereof, even its food.” In this cultic context the reference is to the offerings on the altar.
  12. Malachi 1:13 tn Heb “from your hand,” a metonymy of part (the hand) for whole (the person).
  13. Malachi 1:14 sn The epithet great king was used to describe the Hittite rulers on their covenant documents and so, in the covenant ideology of Malachi, is an apt description of the Lord.
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Malachi 1:6-14
Legacy Standard Bible

The Priests Defile Yahweh

6 “‘A son (A)honors his father, and a slave his master. Then if I am a (B)father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is the fear of Me?’ says Yahweh of hosts to you, O (C)priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 You are presenting (D)defiled [a](E)food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The (F)table of Yahweh is to be despised.’ 8 But when you present the (G)blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Please, bring it near to your (H)governor! Would he accept you? Or would he lift up your face?” says Yahweh of hosts. 9 “But now, [b](I)entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us! With this thing which is from your hand, will He (J)lift up any of your faces?” says Yahweh of hosts. 10 “Oh that there were one among you who would (K)shut the [c]gates, that you might not light a fire on My altar in vain! I have no delight in you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “(L)nor will I accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the (M)rising of the sun even to its setting, (N)My name will be (O)great among the nations, and in every place (P)incense is going to be presented to My name, as well as a grain offering that is clean; for My name will be (Q)great among the nations,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “But you are (R)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, ‘Behold, how (S)tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by (T)robbery and what is (U)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I (V)accept that from your hand?” says Yahweh. 14 “But cursed be the (W)swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a [d](X)blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great (Y)King,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and My name is [e](Z)feared among the [f]nations.”

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 1:7 Lit bread
  2. Malachi 1:9 Lit soften the face of
  3. Malachi 1:10 Or doors
  4. Malachi 1:14 Or ruined
  5. Malachi 1:14 Or reverenced
  6. Malachi 1:14 Or Gentiles
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