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Zechariah 12 - Malachi 3
English Standard Version
Zechariah 12 - Malachi 3
English Standard Version
The Lord Will Give Salvation
12 (A)The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, (B)who stretched out the heavens and (C)founded the earth and (D)formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem (E)a cup of staggering to (F)all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem (G)will also be against Judah. 3 (H)On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. (I)All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And (J)all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 (K)On that day, declares the Lord, (L)I will strike every horse (M)with panic, and its rider (N)with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples (O)with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’
6 (P)“On that day I will make the clans of Judah (Q)like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And (R)they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while (S)Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.
7 “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 (T)On that day (U)the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that (V)the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, (W)like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 (X)And on that day (Y)I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Him Whom They Have Pierced
10 “And (Z)I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and (AA)pleas for mercy, so that, (AB)when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, (AC)they shall mourn for him, (AD)as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 (AE)On that day (AF)the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great (AG)as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, (AH)each family[a] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of (AI)Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of (AJ)the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
13 (AK)“On that day there shall be (AL)a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
Idolatry Cut Off
2 “And (AM)on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, (AN)I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that (AO)they shall be remembered no more. And also (AP)I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. 3 And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, (AQ)‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.
4 “On that day (AR)every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, 5 but he will say, (AS)‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’[b] 6 And if one asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’[c] he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Struck
7 “Awake, O sword, against (AT)my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the Lord of hosts.
(AU)“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land, declares the Lord,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
(AV)and one third shall be left alive.
9 And (AW)I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
(AX)They will call upon my name,
and (AY)I will answer them.
(AZ)I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
The Coming Day of the Lord
14 Behold, (BA)a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For (BB)I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and (BC)the city shall be taken (BD)and the houses plundered (BE)and the women raped. (BF)Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 (BG)Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 (BH)On that day his feet shall stand (BI)on (BJ)the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and (BK)the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by (BL)a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from (BM)the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.[d]
6 (BN)On that day (BO)there shall be (BP)no light, cold, or frost.[e] 7 (BQ)And there shall be a unique[f] day, (BR)which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but (BS)at evening time there shall be light.
8 (BT)On that day (BU)living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to (BV)the eastern sea[g] and half of them to (BW)the western sea.[h] (BX)It shall continue in summer as in winter.
9 And (BY)the Lord will be king over all the earth. (BZ)On that day the Lord will be (CA)one and (CB)his name one.
10 (CC)The whole land shall be turned into a plain from (CD)Geba to (CE)Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But (CF)Jerusalem shall remain aloft (CG)on its site from (CH)the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to (CI)the Corner Gate, and from (CJ)the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11 And it shall be inhabited, for (CK)there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.[i] (CL)Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
12 And this shall be (CM)the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 And (CN)on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that (CO)each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. 14 Even (CP)Judah will fight at Jerusalem.[j] And (CQ)the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And (CR)a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.
16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem (CS)shall go up year after year to worship (CT)the King, the Lord of hosts, and (CU)to keep (CV)the Feast of Booths. 17 And if (CW)any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship (CX)the King, the Lord of hosts, (CY)there will be no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain;[k] there shall be (CZ)the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up (DA)to keep the Feast of Booths. 19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up (DB)to keep the Feast of Booths.
20 And (DC)on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, (DD)“Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. 21 And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be (DE)holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And (DF)there shall no longer be (DG)a trader[l] in the house of the Lord of hosts (DH)on that day.
1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.[m]
The Lord's Love for Israel
2 (DI)“I have loved you,” says the Lord. (DJ)But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau (DK)Jacob's brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet (DL)I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. (DM)I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” 4 If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” 5 (DN)Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!”
The Priests' Polluted Offerings
6 (DO)“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am (DP)a father, where is my honor? And if I am (DQ)a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. (DR)But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 (DS)By offering polluted food upon my altar. (DT)But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that (DU)the Lord's table may be despised. 8 (DV)When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9 And now (DW)entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, (DX)will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10 (DY)Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, (DZ)and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name (EA)will be[n] great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name (EB)will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that (EC)the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. 13 But you say, (ED)‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. (EE)You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has (EF)a male in his flock, and (EG)vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For (EH)I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name (EI)will be feared among the nations.
The Lord Rebukes the Priests
2 “And now, (EJ)O priests, (EK)this command is for you. 2 (EL)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 (EM)the curse upon you and I will curse (EN)your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, (EO)I will rebuke your offspring,[o] and (EP)spread dung on your faces, the (EQ)dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.[p] 4 So shall you know that I have sent (ER)this command to you, that (ES)my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life and (ET)peace, and I gave them to him. (EU)It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 (EV)True instruction[q] was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he (EW)turned many from iniquity. 7 For (EX)the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people[r] 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. (EY)You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted (EZ)the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and so (FA)I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but (FB)show partiality in your instruction.”
Judah Profaned the Covenant
10 Have we not all (FC)one Father? Has not (FD)one God created us? Why then are we (FE)faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has been (FF)faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For (FG)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[s] of the man who does this, who (FH)brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this second thing you do. (FI)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 (FJ)But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord (FK)was witness between you and the wife of your youth, (FL)to whom (FM)you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 (FN)Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?[t] And what was the one God[u] seeking?[v] (FO)Godly offspring. So guard yourselves[w] in your spirit, and let none of you be (FP)faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For (FQ)the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,[x] says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers[y] his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and (FR)do not be faithless.”
The Messenger of the Lord
17 (FS)You have wearied the Lord with your words. (FT)But you say, “How have we wearied him?” (FU)By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, (FV)“Where is the God of justice?”
3 (FW)“Behold, I send (FX)my messenger, and (FY)he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord (FZ)whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and (GA)the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But (GB)who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For (GC)he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit (GD)as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring (GE)offerings in righteousness to the Lord.[z] 4 (GF)Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be (GG)a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those (GH)who oppress the hired worker in his wages, (GI)the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
Robbing God
6 “For (GJ)I the Lord do not change; (GK)therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 (GL)From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. (GM)Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. (GN)But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. (GO)But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ (GP)In your tithes and contributions. 9 (GQ)You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 (GR)Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby (GS)put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open (GT)the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke (GU)the devourer[aa] for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then (GV)all nations will call you blessed, for you will be (GW)a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
13 (GX)“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. (GY)But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, (GZ)‘It is vain to serve God. (HA)What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call (HB)the arrogant blessed. (HC)Evildoers not only prosper but (HD)they put God to the test and they escape.’”
The Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who feared the Lord (HE)spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and (HF)a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, (HG)in the day when I make up (HH)my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall (HI)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 12:12 Or clan; throughout verses 12–14
- Zechariah 13:5 Or for the land has been my possession since my youth
- Zechariah 13:6 Or on your chest; Hebrew wounds between your hands
- Zechariah 14:5 Other Hebrew manuscripts you
- Zechariah 14:6 Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Zechariah 14:7 Hebrew one
- Zechariah 14:8 That is, the Dead Sea
- Zechariah 14:8 That is, the Mediterranean Sea
- Zechariah 14:11 The Hebrew term rendered decree of utter destruction refers to things devoted (or set apart) to the Lord (or by the Lord) for destruction
- Zechariah 14:14 Or against Jerusalem
- Zechariah 14:18 Hebrew lacks rain
- Zechariah 14:21 Or Canaanite
- Malachi 1:1 Malachi means my messenger
- Malachi 1:11 Or is (three times in verse 11; also verse 14)
- Malachi 2:3 Hebrew seed
- Malachi 2:3 Or to it
- Malachi 2:6 Or law; also verses 7, 8, 9
- Malachi 2:7 Hebrew they
- Malachi 2:12 Hebrew any who wakes and answers
- Malachi 2:15 Hebrew in it
- Malachi 2:15 Hebrew the one
- Malachi 2:15 Or And not one has done this who has a portion of the Spirit. And what was that one seeking?
- Malachi 2:15 Or So take care; also verse 16
- Malachi 2:16 Hebrew who hates and divorces
- 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
- Malachi 3:3 Or and they will belong to the Lord, bringers of an offering in righteousness
- Malachi 3:11 Probably a name for some crop-destroying pest or pests
Zechariah 12 - Malachi 3
New International Version
Zechariah 12 - Malachi 3
New International Version
Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed
12 A prophecy:(A) The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens,(B) who lays the foundation of the earth,(C) and who forms the human spirit within a person,(D) declares: 2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup(E) that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.(F) Judah(G) will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations(H) of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock(I) for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure(J) themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.(K) 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,(L) because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot(M) in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume(N) all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact(O) in her place.
7 “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.(P) 8 On that day the Lord will shield(Q) those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest(R) among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,(S) like the angel of the Lord going before(T) them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations(U) that attack Jerusalem.(V)
Mourning for the One They Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a](W) of grace and supplication.(X) They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced,(Y) and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,(Z) and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(AA) 11 On that day the weeping(AB) in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(AC) 12 The land will mourn,(AD) each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.(AE)
Cleansing From Sin
13 “On that day a fountain(AF) will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse(AG) them from sin and impurity.
2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols(AH) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”(AI) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets(AJ) and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies(AK) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.(AL)
4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed(AM) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment(AN) of hair(AO) in order to deceive.(AP) 5 Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.[c]’(AQ) 6 If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body[d]?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered
7 “Awake, sword,(AR) against my shepherd,(AS)
against the man who is close to me!”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered,(AT)
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.(AU)
9 This third I will put into the fire;(AV)
I will refine them like silver(AW)
and test them like gold.(AX)
They will call(AY) on my name(AZ)
and I will answer(BA) them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’(BB)
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.(BC)’”
The Lord Comes and Reigns
14 A day of the Lord(BD) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions(BE) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
2 I will gather all the nations(BF) to Jerusalem to fight against it;(BG) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.(BH) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.(BI) 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight(BJ) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.(BK) 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,(BL) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split(BM) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[e](BN) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,(BO) and all the holy ones with him.(BP)
6 On that day there will be neither sunlight(BQ) nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique(BR) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.(BS) When evening comes, there will be light.(BT)
8 On that day living water(BU) will flow(BV) out from Jerusalem, half of it east(BW) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.(BX)
9 The Lord will be king(BY) over the whole earth.(BZ) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.(CA)
10 The whole land, from Geba(CB) to Rimmon,(CC) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up(CD) high from the Benjamin Gate(CE) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,(CF) and from the Tower of Hananel(CG) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.(CH) 11 It will be inhabited;(CI) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.(CJ)
12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike(CK) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.(CL) 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.(CM) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.(CN) 14 Judah(CO) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected(CP)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague(CQ) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.
16 Then the survivors(CR) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship(CS) the King,(CT) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(CU) 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship(CV) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.(CW) 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[f] will bring on them the plague(CX) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(CY) 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.(CZ)
20 On that day holy to the Lord(DA) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots(DB) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls(DC) in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy(DD) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day(DE) there will no longer be a Canaanite[g](DF) in the house(DG) of the Lord Almighty.(DH)
1 A prophecy:(DI) The word(DJ) of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.[h]
Israel Doubts God’s Love
2 “I have loved(DK) you,” says the Lord.
“But you ask,(DL) ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,(DM) 3 but Esau I have hated,(DN) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland(DO) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.(DP)”
4 Edom(DQ) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild(DR) the ruins.”
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.(DS) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.(DT) 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great(DU) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’(DV)
Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices
6 “A son honors his father,(DW) and a slave his master.(DX) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect(DY) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.(DZ)
“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.
“But you ask,(EA) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
7 “By offering defiled food(EB) on my altar.
“But you ask,(EC) ‘How have we defiled you?’
“By saying that the Lord’s table(ED) is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,(EE) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased(EF) with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.(EG)
9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings(EH) from your hands, will he accept(EI) you?”—says the Lord Almighty.
10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,(EJ) so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased(EK) with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept(EL) no offering(EM) from your hands. 11 My name will be great(EN) among the nations,(EO) from where the sun rises to where it sets.(EP) In every place incense(EQ) and pure offerings(ER) 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(ES) is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food(ET) is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’(EU) and you sniff at it contemptuously,(EV)” says the Lord Almighty.
“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,(EW) should I accept them from your hands?”(EX) 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(EY) to the Lord. For I am a great king,(EZ)” says the Lord Almighty,(FA) “and my name is to be feared(FB) among the nations.(FC)
Additional Warning to the Priests
2 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you.(FD) 2 If you do not listen,(FE) and if you do not resolve to honor(FF) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse(FG) on you, and I will curse your blessings.(FH) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.
3 “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants[i]; I will smear on your faces the dung(FI) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.(FJ) 4 And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi(FK) may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. 5 “My covenant was with him, a covenant(FL) of life and peace,(FM) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence(FN) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction(FO) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked(FP) with me in peace(FQ) and uprightness,(FR) and turned many from sin.(FS)
7 “For the lips of a priest(FT) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger(FU) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.(FV) 8 But you have turned from the way(FW) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;(FX) you have violated the covenant(FY) with Levi,”(FZ) says the Lord Almighty. 9 “So I have caused you to be despised(GA) and humiliated(GB) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality(GC) in matters of the law.”(GD)
Breaking Covenant Through Divorce
10 Do we not all have one Father[j]?(GE) Did not one God create us?(GF) Why do we profane the covenant(GG) of our ancestors by being unfaithful(GH) to one another?
11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable(GI) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves(GJ) by marrying(GK) women who worship a foreign god.(GL) 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove(GM) him from the tents of Jacob[k](GN)—even though he brings an offering(GO) to the Lord Almighty.
13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears.(GP) You weep and wail(GQ) because he no longer looks with favor(GR) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.(GS) 14 You ask,(GT) “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness(GU) between you and the wife of your youth.(GV) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.(GW)
15 Has not the one God made you?(GX) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.[l](GY) So be on your guard,(GZ) and do not be unfaithful(HA) to the wife of your youth.
16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,(HB)” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”[m](HC) says the Lord Almighty.
So be on your guard,(HD) and do not be unfaithful.
Breaking Covenant Through Injustice
17 You have wearied(HE) the Lord with your words.
“How have we wearied him?” you ask.(HF)
By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased(HG) with them” or “Where is the God of justice?(HH)”
3 “I will send my messenger,(HI) who will prepare the way before me.(HJ) Then suddenly the Lord(HK) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(HL) whom you desire,(HM) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
2 But who can endure(HN) the day of his coming?(HO) Who can stand(HP) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(HQ) or a launderer’s soap.(HR) 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(HS) he will purify(HT) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(HU) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(HV) 4 and the offerings(HW) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(HX)
5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(HY) adulterers(HZ) and perjurers,(IA) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(IB) who oppress the widows(IC) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(ID) among you of justice, but do not fear(IE) me,” says the Lord Almighty.
Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes
6 “I the Lord do not change.(IF) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(IG) 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away(IH) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return(II) to me, and I will return to you,”(IJ) says the Lord Almighty.
“But you ask,(IK) ‘How are we to return?’
8 “Will a mere mortal rob(IL) God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes(IM) and offerings. 9 You are under a curse(IN)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(IO) into the storehouse,(IP) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(IQ) of heaven and pour out(IR) so much blessing(IS) that there will not be room enough to store it.(IT) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(IU) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(IV)” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,(IW) for yours will be a delightful land,”(IX) says the Lord Almighty.(IY)
Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God
13 “You have spoken arrogantly(IZ) against me,” says the Lord.
“Yet you ask,(JA) ‘What have we said against you?’
14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(JB) to serve(JC) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(JD) and going about like mourners(JE) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(JF) blessed. Certainly evildoers(JG) prosper,(JH) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”
The Faithful Remnant
16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(JI) A scroll(JJ) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(JK) the Lord and honored his name.
17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(JL) treasured possession.(JM) I will spare(JN) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(JO) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(JP) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(JQ)
Footnotes
- Zechariah 12:10 Or the Spirit
- Zechariah 12:10 Or to
- Zechariah 13:5 Or farmer; a man sold me in my youth
- Zechariah 13:6 Or wounds between your hands
- Zechariah 14:5 Or 5 My mountain valley will be blocked and will extend to Azel. It will be blocked as it was blocked because of the earthquake
- Zechariah 14:18 Or part, then the Lord
- Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant
- Malachi 1:1 Malachi means my messenger.
- Malachi 2:3 Or will blight your grain
- Malachi 2:10 Or father
- 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
- Malachi 2:15 The meaning of the Hebrew for the first part of this verse is uncertain.
- 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,”
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.