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Malachi 2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 2

1 And now, priests, this commandment is for you:
    If you do not listen,
2 (A)And if you do not take to heart
    giving honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts,
I will send a curse upon you
    and your blessing I will curse.
In fact, I have already cursed it,
    because you do not take it to heart.
3 I will rebuke your offspring;
    I will spread dung on your faces,
Dung from your feasts,
    and will carry you to it.
4 You should know that I sent you this commandment
    so that my covenant with Levi might endure,
    says the Lord of hosts.
5 (B)My covenant with him was the life and peace which I gave him,
    and the fear he had for me,
    standing in awe of my name.
6 (C)Reliable instruction was in his mouth,
    no perversity was found upon his lips;
He walked with me in integrity and uprightness,
    and turned many away from evil.
7 (D)For a priest’s lips preserve knowledge,
    and instruction is to be sought from his mouth,
    because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But you have turned aside from the way,
    and have caused many to stumble by your instruction;
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,[a]
    says the Lord of hosts.
9 I, therefore, have made you contemptible
    and base before all the people,
For you do not keep my ways,
    but show partiality in your instruction.

Marriage and Divorce

10 [b](E)Have we not all one father?
    Has not one God created us?
Why, then, do we break faith with each other,
    profaning the covenant of our ancestors?
11 (F)Judah has broken faith; an abominable thing
    has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem.
Judah has profaned the Lord’s holy place, which he loves,
    and has married a daughter of a foreign god.[c]
12 May the Lord cut off from the man who does this
    both witness and advocate from the tents of Jacob,
    and anyone to bring an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 This also you do: the altar of the Lord you cover
    with tears, weeping, and groaning,
Because the Lord no longer takes note of your offering
    or accepts it favorably from your hand.
14 (G)And you say, “Why?”—
    Because the Lord is witness
    between you and the wife of your youth
With whom you have broken faith,
    though she is your companion, your covenanted wife.[d]
15 (H)Did he not make them one, with flesh and spirit?
    And what does the One require? Godly offspring!
You should be on guard, then, for your life,
    and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.
16 For I hate divorce,
    says the Lord, the God of Israel,
And the one who covers his garment with violence,
    says the Lord of hosts.
You should be on guard, then, for your life,
    and you must not break faith.

Purification and Just Judgment

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words,
    yet you say, “How have we wearied him?”
By saying, “All evildoers
    are good in the sight of the Lord,
And he is pleased with them,”
    or “Where is the just God?”

Footnotes

  1. 2:8 The covenant of Levi: not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. The covenant with Phinehas the grandson of Aaron (Nm 25:11–13) and the Blessing of Levi (Dt 33:8–11) may lie in the background.
  2. 2:10–16 Intermarriage of Israelites with foreigners was forbidden according to Dt 7:1–4. After the exile, attempts were made to enforce this law (Ezr 9–10). Foreign marriages are here portrayed as a covenantal violation (v. 10). They were all the more reprehensible when they were accompanied by the divorce of Israelite wives (vv. 14–16), and God finds their sacrifices unacceptable (vv. 13–14). In Mk 10:2–12, Jesus forbids divorce; in Mt 19:3–12, this ideal is maintained with the provision that unlawful marriage may be grounds for divorce (see 1 Cor 7:10–16). You should be on guard, then, for your life: a warning of punishment for failure to obey God (cf. Dt 4:9; Jos 23:11; Jer 17:21).
  3. 2:11 Daughter of a foreign god: this unusual phrase connotes a woman who does not share the same father/creator (v. 10), since she does not share the same covenant.
  4. 2:14 Companion…covenanted wife: the Hebrew word haberet signifies an equal, a partner. This woman, in contrast to the daughter of a foreign god, shares with her husband the same covenant with the Lord.
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Malachi 2
English Standard Version

The Lord Rebukes the Priests

2 “And now, (A)O priests, (B)this command is for you. 2 (C)If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send (D)the curse upon you and I will curse (E)your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, (F)I will rebuke your offspring,[a] and (G)spread dung on your faces, the (H)dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.[b] 4 So shall you know that I have sent (I)this command to you, that (J)my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life and (K)peace, and I gave them to him. (L)It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 (M)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 (N)turned many from iniquity. 7 For (O)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. 8 But you have turned aside from the way. (P)You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted (Q)the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and so (R)I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but (S)show partiality in your instruction.”

Judah Profaned the Covenant

10 Have we not all (T)one Father? Has not (U)one God created us? Why then are we (V)faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has been (W)faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For (X)Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant[e] of the man who does this, who (Y)brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!

13 And this second thing you do. (Z)You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 (AA)But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord (AB)was witness between you and the wife of your youth, (AC)to whom (AD)you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 (AE)Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?[f] And what was the one God[g] seeking?[h] (AF)Godly offspring. So guard yourselves[i] in your spirit, and let none of you be (AG)faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For (AH)the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,[j] says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers[k] his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and (AI)do not be faithless.”

The Messenger of the Lord

17 (AJ)You have wearied the Lord with your words. (AK)But you say, “How have we wearied him?” (AL)By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, (AM)“Where is the God of justice?”

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
  5. Malachi 2:12 Hebrew any who wakes and answers
  6. Malachi 2:15 Hebrew in it
  7. Malachi 2:15 Hebrew the one
  8. Malachi 2:15 Or And not one has done this who has a portion of the Spirit. And what was that one seeking?
  9. Malachi 2:15 Or So take care; also verse 16
  10. Malachi 2:16 Hebrew who hates and divorces
  11. Malachi 2:16 Probable meaning (compare Septuagint and Deuteronomy 24:1–4); or “The Lord, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce, and him who covers
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Malaquías 2
Nueva Biblia de las Américas

2 «Y ahora, para ustedes, sacerdotes, es este mandamiento. 2 Si no escuchan, y si no deciden de corazón dar honor a Mi nombre», dice el Señor(A) de los ejércitos, «enviaré sobre ustedes maldición(B), y maldeciré sus bendiciones; y en verdad, ya las he maldecido(C), porque no lo han decidido de corazón. 3 Yo reprenderé a su descendencia, y les echaré estiércol(D) a la cara, el estiércol(E) de sus fiestas, y serán llevados con él(F). 4 Entonces sabrán que les he enviado este mandamiento para que Mi pacto siga con Leví», dice el Señor de los ejércitos(G).

5 «Mi pacto con él era de vida y paz(H), las cuales le di para que me reverenciara(I); y él me reverenció, y estaba lleno de temor ante Mi nombre. 6 La verdadera instrucción[a] estaba en su boca, y no se hallaba iniquidad en sus labios(J); en paz y rectitud caminaba conmigo(K), y apartaba a muchos de la iniquidad(L). 7 Pues los labios del sacerdote deben guardar la sabiduría, y los hombres deben buscar la instrucción de su boca(M), porque él es el mensajero(N) del Señor(O) de los ejércitos. 8 Pero ustedes se han desviado del camino, han hecho tropezar a muchos en la ley(P), han corrompido el pacto de Leví(Q)», dice el Señor de los ejércitos. 9 «Por eso Yo también los he hecho despreciables y viles(R) ante todo el pueblo, así como ustedes no han guardado Mis caminos(S) y hacen acepción de personas al aplicar la ley(T).

Abominaciones del pueblo

10 »¿No tenemos todos un mismo Padre? ¿No nos ha creado un mismo Dios(U)? ¿Por qué nos portamos deslealmente(V) unos contra otros(W), profanando el pacto de nuestros padres(X)? 11 Deslealmente ha obrado Judá. Una abominación se ha cometido en Israel y en Jerusalén; porque Judá ha profanado el santuario del Señor(Y), que Él ama, y se ha casado con la hija de un dios extraño(Z). 12 Que el Señor extermine de las tiendas de Jacob al hombre que hace esto(AA) (sea testigo o defensor) aunque presente una ofrenda al Señor de los ejércitos(AB).

13 »Y esta otra cosa hacen: cubren el altar del Señor de lágrimas, llantos y gemidos, porque Él ya no mira la ofrenda ni la acepta con agrado(AC) de su mano. 14 Y ustedes dicen: “¿Por qué?”. Porque el Señor ha sido testigo entre tú y la mujer de tu juventud(AD), contra la cual has obrado deslealmente(AE), aunque ella es tu compañera y la mujer de tu pacto. 15 Pero ninguno que tenga un remanente del Espíritu lo ha hecho así(AF). ¿Y qué hizo este mientras buscaba una descendencia de parte de Dios(AG)? Presten atención, pues, a su espíritu; no seas desleal con la mujer de tu juventud(AH). 16 Porque Yo detesto el divorcio(AI)», dice el Señor, Dios de Israel, «y al que cubre de iniquidad su vestidura(AJ)», dice el Señor de los ejércitos. «Presten atención, pues, a su espíritu y no sean desleales».

17 Ustedes han cansado al Señor con sus palabras(AK). Y dicen: «¿En qué lo hemos cansado?». Cuando dicen(AL): «Todo el que hace mal es bueno a los ojos del Señor, y en ellos Él se complace; o: ¿Dónde está(AM) el Dios de la justicia(AN)?».

Footnotes

  1. 2:6 O ley.
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Malachi 2
New International Version

Additional Warning to the Priests

2 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you.(A) 2 If you do not listen,(B) and if you do not resolve to honor(C) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse(D) on you, and I will curse your blessings.(E) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

3 “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants[a]; I will smear on your faces the dung(F) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.(G) 4 And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi(H) may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. 5 “My covenant was with him, a covenant(I) of life and peace,(J) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence(K) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction(L) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked(M) with me in peace(N) and uprightness,(O) and turned many from sin.(P)

7 “For the lips of a priest(Q) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger(R) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.(S) 8 But you have turned from the way(T) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;(U) you have violated the covenant(V) with Levi,”(W) says the Lord Almighty. 9 “So I have caused you to be despised(X) and humiliated(Y) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality(Z) in matters of the law.”(AA)

Breaking Covenant Through Divorce

10 Do we not all have one Father[b]?(AB) Did not one God create us?(AC) Why do we profane the covenant(AD) of our ancestors by being unfaithful(AE) to one another?

11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable(AF) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves(AG) by marrying(AH) women who worship a foreign god.(AI) 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove(AJ) him from the tents of Jacob[c](AK)—even though he brings an offering(AL) to the Lord Almighty.

13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.(AM) You weep and wail(AN) because he no longer looks with favor(AO) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.(AP) 14 You ask,(AQ) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness(AR) between you and the wife of your youth.(AS) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.(AT)

15 Has not the one God made you?(AU) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.[d](AV) So be on your guard,(AW) and do not be unfaithful(AX) to the wife of your youth.

16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,(AY)” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[e](AZ) says the Lord Almighty.

So be on your guard,(BA) and do not be unfaithful.

Breaking Covenant Through Injustice

17 You have wearied(BB) the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.(BC)

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased(BD) with them” or “Where is the God of justice?(BE)”

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 2:3 Or will blight your grain
  2. Malachi 2:10 Or father
  3. Malachi 2:12 Or 12 May the Lord remove from the tents of Jacob anyone who gives testimony in behalf of the man who does this
  4. Malachi 2:15 The meaning of the Hebrew for the first part of this verse is uncertain.
  5. Malachi 2:16 Or “I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “because the man who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,”
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