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(A)If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send (B)the curse upon you and I will curse (C)your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, (D)I will rebuke your offspring,[a] and (E)spread dung on your faces, the (F)dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.[b] So shall you know that I have sent (G)this command to you, that (H)my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and (I)peace, and I gave them to him. (J)It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. (K)True instruction[c] was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he (L)turned many from iniquity. For (M)the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people[d] should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. (N)You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted (O)the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts,

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:3 Hebrew seed
  2. Malachi 2:3 Or to it
  3. Malachi 2:6 Or law; also verses 7, 8, 9
  4. Malachi 2:7 Hebrew they

Desecrating the Holiness of God

1-3 “And now this indictment, you priests! If you refuse to obediently listen, and if you refuse to honor me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, in worship, then I’ll put you under a curse. I’ll exchange all your blessings for curses. In fact, the curses are already at work because you’re not serious about honoring me. Yes, and the curse will extend to your children. I’m going to plaster your faces with rotting garbage, garbage thrown out from your feasts. That’s what you have to look forward to!

4-6 “Maybe that will wake you up. Maybe then you’ll realize that I’m indicting you in order to put new life into my covenant with the priests of Levi, the covenant of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. My covenant with Levi was to give life and peace. I kept my covenant with him, and he honored me. He stood in reverent awe before me. He taught the truth and did not lie. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. He kept many out of the ditch, kept them on the road.

7-9 “It’s the job of priests to teach the truth. People are supposed to look to them for guidance. The priest is the messenger of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. But you priests have abandoned the way of priests. Your teaching has messed up many lives. You have corrupted the covenant of priest Levi. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so. And so I am showing you up for who you are. Everyone will be disgusted with you and avoid you because you don’t live the way I told you to live, and you don’t teach my revelation truly and impartially.”

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