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

Israel Doubts God’s Love

² “I have loved^(C) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,^(D) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,^{(E) 3} but Esau I have hated,^(F) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland^(G) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.^(H)”

⁴ Edom^(I) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild^(J) the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.^(K) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.^{(L) 5} You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great^(M) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’^(N)

Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices

⁶ “A son honors his father,^(O) and a slave his master.^(P) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect^(Q) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.^(R)

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask,^(S) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “By offering defiled food^(T) on my altar.

“But you ask,^(U) ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table^(V) is contemptible. ⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,^(W) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased^(X) with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.^(Y)

⁹ “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings^(Z) from your hands, will he accept^(AA) you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

¹⁰ “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,^(AB) so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased^(AC) with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept^(AD) no offering^(AE) from your hands. ¹¹ My name will be great^(AF) among the nations,^(AG) from where the sun rises to where it sets.^(AH) In every place incense^(AI) and pure offerings^(AJ) will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

¹² “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table^(AK) is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food^(AL) is contemptible.’ ¹³ And you say, ‘What a burden!’^(AM) and you sniff at it contemptuously,^(AN)” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,^(AO) should I accept them from your hands?”^(AP) says the Lord. ¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal^(AQ) to the Lord. For I am a great king,^(AR)” says the Lord Almighty,^(AS) “and my name is to be feared^(AT) among the nations.^(AU)

Additional Warning to the Priests

2 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you.^{(AV) 2} If you do not listen,^(AW) and if you do not resolve to honor^(AX) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse^(AY) on you, and I will curse your blessings.^(AZ) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

³ “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants^[b]; I will smear on your faces the dung^(BA) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.^{(BB) 4} And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi^(BC) may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant^(BD) of life and peace,^(BE) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence^(BF) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction^(BG) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked^(BH) with me in peace^(BI) and uprightness,^(BJ) and turned many from sin.^(BK)

⁷ “For the lips of a priest^(BL) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger^(BM) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.^{(BN) 8} But you have turned from the way^(BO) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;^(BP) you have violated the covenant^(BQ) with Levi,”^(BR) says the Lord Almighty. ⁹ “So I have caused you to be despised^(BS) and humiliated^(BT) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality^(BU) in matters of the law.”^(BV)

Breaking Covenant Through Divorce

¹⁰ Do we not all have one Father^[c]?^(BW) Did not one God create us?^(BX) Why do we profane the covenant^(BY) of our ancestors by being unfaithful^(BZ) to one another?

¹¹ Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable^(CA) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves^(CB) by marrying^(CC) women who worship a foreign god.^{(CD) 12} As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove^(CE) him from the tents of Jacob^[d](CF)—even though he brings an offering^(CG) to the Lord Almighty.

¹³ Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.^(CH) You weep and wail^(CI) because he no longer looks with favor^(CJ) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.^{(CK) 14} You ask,^(CL) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness^(CM) between you and the wife of your youth.^(CN) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.^(CO)

¹⁵ Has not the one God made you?^(CP) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.^[e](CQ) So be on your guard,^(CR) and do not be unfaithful^(CS) to the wife of your youth.

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

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

Breaking Covenant Through Injustice

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

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

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

3 “I will send my messenger,^(DA) who will prepare the way before me.^(DB) Then suddenly the Lord^(DC) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,^(DD) whom you desire,^(DE) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

² But who can endure^(DF) the day of his coming?^(DG) Who can stand^(DH) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire^(DI) or a launderer’s soap.^{(DJ) 3} He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;^(DK) he will purify^(DL) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.^(DM) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,^{(DN) 4} and the offerings^(DO) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.^(DP)

⁵ “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,^(DQ) adulterers^(DR) and perjurers,^(DS) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,^(DT) who oppress the widows^(DU) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners^(DV) among you of justice, but do not fear^(DW) me,” says the Lord Almighty.