God’s Third Complaint: Against His Priests—Failing to Honor Him

2 Now this commandment is for you priests: ² “If you don’t listen, and if you don’t choose^[a] to give honor to my name,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “then I’ll curse both you and your blessings.^[b] I’ve even cursed them^[c] already, because none of you are taking it to heart. ³ Look! I’m rebuking your descendants because of you, and I’ll spread waste^[d] on your faces, the waste of your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.

⁴ “You will know that I sent this commandment to you in order to continue my covenant with Levi,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ⁵ “My covenant with him was for life and peace, and I gave the commandments^[e] to him so he would fear me. He did fear me as he stood in my presence.^{[f] 6} True teachings were in his mouth, and falsehood was not found on his lips. He walked with me peacefully and righteously, and he turned many from sin. ⁷ For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he’s the messenger of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

⁸ “But you priests^[g] turned aside from the way, and by your teaching you caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ⁹ “So I also made you despised, humiliating you before all of the people, because you aren’t following my ways and are showing partiality when you teach.”