Malachi 1-2
New King James Version
Polluted Offerings to God
1 The [a]burden of the word of the Lord to Israel [b]by Malachi.
Israel Beloved of God
2 “I(A) have loved you,” says the Lord.
“Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the Lord.
“Yet (B)Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated,
And (C)laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”
4 Even though Edom has said,
“We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,”
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They may build, but I will (D)throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
(E)‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
Polluted Offerings
6 “A son (F)honors his father,
And a servant his master.
(G)If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the Lord of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
(H)Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
7 “You offer (I)defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
(J)‘The table of the Lord is [c]contemptible.’
8 And (K)when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he (L)accept[d] you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
(M)While this is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
10 “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
(N)So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
(O)“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For (P)from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great (Q)among the Gentiles;
(R)In every place (S)incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
(T)For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
12 “But you profane it,
In that you say,
(U)‘The table of the [e]Lord is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
13 You also say,
‘Oh, what a (V)weariness!’
And you sneer at it,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
(W)Should I accept this from your hand?”
Says the Lord.
14 “But cursed be (X)the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow,
But sacrifices to the Lord (Y)what is blemished—
For (Z)I am a great King,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“And My name is to be feared among the nations.
Corrupt Priests
2 “And now, O (AA)priests, this commandment is for you.
2 (AB)If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them (AC)already,
Because you do not take it to heart.
3 “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants
And spread (AD)refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will (AE)take you away [f]with it.
4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
5 “My(AF) covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him (AG)that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.
6 (AH)The[g] law of truth was in his mouth,
And [h]injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity,
And (AI)turned many away from iniquity.
7 “For(AJ) the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
(AK)For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But you have departed from the way;
You (AL)have caused many to stumble at the law.
(AM)You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “Therefore (AN)I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown (AO)partiality in the law.”
Treachery of Infidelity
10 (AP)Have we not all one Father?
(AQ)Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
11 Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has (AR)profaned
The Lord’s holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being [i]awake and aware,
Yet (AS)who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness
Between you and (AT)the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
(AU)Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
15 But (AV)did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks (AW)godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
16 “For (AX)the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
17 (AY)You have wearied the Lord with your words;
Yet you say,
“In what way have we wearied Him?”
In that you say,
(AZ)“Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the Lord,
And He delights in them,”
Or, “Where is the God of justice?”
Footnotes
- Malachi 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Malachi 1:1 Lit. by the hand of
- Malachi 1:7 Or to be despised
- Malachi 1:8 Lit. lift up your face
- Malachi 1:12 So with Bg.; MT Lord
- Malachi 2:3 Lit. to it
- Malachi 2:6 Or True instruction
- Malachi 2:6 Or unrighteousness
- Malachi 2:12 Talmud, Vg. teacher and student
Revelation 21
New King James Version
All Things Made New
21 Now (A)I saw a new heaven and a new earth, (B)for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, [a]John, saw (C)the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared (D)as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, (E)the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 (F)And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; (G)there shall be no more death, (H)nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then (I)He who sat on the throne said, (J)“Behold, I make all things new.” And He said [b]to me, “Write, for (K)these words are true and faithful.”
6 And He said to me, (L)“It[c] is done! (M)I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. (N)I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes [d]shall inherit all things, and (O)I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 (P)But the cowardly, [e]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in (Q)the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem(R)
9 Then one of (S)the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came [f]to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you (T)the [g]bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away (U)in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me (V)the [h]great city, the [i]holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 (W)having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with (X)twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 (Y)three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and (Z)on them were the [j]names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me (AA)had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand [k]furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 (AB)The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve (AC)pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. (AD)And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
The Glory of the New Jerusalem
22 (AE)But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 (AF)The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine [l]in it, for the [m]glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 (AG)And the nations [n]of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor [o]into it. 25 (AH)Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (AI)(there shall be no night there). 26 (AJ)And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into [p]it. 27 But (AK)there shall by no means enter it anything [q]that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s (AL)Book of Life.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 21:2 NU, M omit John
- Revelation 21:5 NU, M omit to me
- Revelation 21:6 M omits It is done
- Revelation 21:7 M I shall give him these things
- Revelation 21:8 M adds and sinners,
- Revelation 21:9 NU, M omit to me
- Revelation 21:9 M woman, the Lamb’s bride
- Revelation 21:10 NU, M omit great
- Revelation 21:10 NU, M holy city, Jerusalem
- Revelation 21:14 NU, M twelve names
- Revelation 21:16 Lit. stadia, about 1,380 miles in all
- Revelation 21:23 NU, M omit in it
- Revelation 21:23 M very glory
- Revelation 21:24 NU, M omit of those who are saved
- Revelation 21:24 M of the nations to Him
- Revelation 21:26 M adds that they may enter in.
- Revelation 21:27 NU, M profane, nor one who causes
Psalm 149
New King James Version
Praise to God for His Salvation and Judgment
149 Praise[a] the Lord!
(A)Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their (B)King.
3 (C)Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4 For (D)the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
(E)He will beautify the [b]humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them (F)sing aloud on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And (G)a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 (H)To execute on them the written judgment—
(I)This honor have all His saints.
[c]Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 149:1 Heb. Hallelujah
- Psalm 149:4 meek
- Psalm 149:9 Heb. Hallelujah
Proverbs 31:10-24
New King James Version
The Virtuous Wife
10 (A)Who[a] can find a [b]virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 (B)She also rises while it is yet night,
And (C)provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [c]her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 (D)She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 (E)Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:10 Vv. 10–31 are an alphabetic acrostic in Hebrew; cf. Ps. 119
- Proverbs 31:10 Lit. a wife of valor, in the sense of all forms of excellence
- Proverbs 31:16 Lit. the fruit of her hands
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
