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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,”
Zechariah 12 - Malachi 3
King James Version
Zechariah 12 - Malachi 3
King James Version
12 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.
6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
13 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
14 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness Unto The Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2 I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.
5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel.
6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.
9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts.
10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.
13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.
14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
2 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.
13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
3 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
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