Chronological
Yahweh’s Love for Jacob
1 The [a](A)oracle of the word of [b]Yahweh to (B)Israel by the hand of [c]Malachi.
2 “I have (C)loved you,” says Yahweh. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I (D)have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have (E)set his mountains to be a desolation and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been (F)demolished, but we will [d](G)return and build up the waste places”; thus says Yahweh of hosts, “They may (H)build, but I will pull down; and men will call them a [e]territory of wickedness, and the people [f]toward whom Yahweh is indignant (I)forever.” 5 And your eyes will see this, and you will say, “(J)Yahweh [g]be magnified beyond the [h]territory of Israel!”
The Priests Defile Yahweh
6 “‘A son (K)honors his father, and a slave his master. Then if I am a (L)father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is the fear of Me?’ says Yahweh of hosts to you, O (M)priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 You are presenting (N)defiled [i](O)food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The (P)table of Yahweh is to be despised.’ 8 But when you present the (Q)blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Please, bring it near to your (R)governor! Would he accept you? Or would he lift up your face?” says Yahweh of hosts. 9 “But now, [j](S)entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us! With this thing which is from your hand, will He (T)lift up any of your faces?” says Yahweh of hosts. 10 “Oh that there were one among you who would (U)shut the [k]gates, that you might not light a fire on My altar in vain! I have no delight in you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “(V)nor will I accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the (W)rising of the sun even to its setting, (X)My name will be (Y)great among the nations, and in every place (Z)incense is going to be presented to My name, as well as a grain offering that is clean; for My name will be (AA)great among the nations,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “But you are (AB)profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ 13 You also say, ‘Behold, how (AC)tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by (AD)robbery and what is (AE)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I (AF)accept that from your hand?” says Yahweh. 14 “But cursed be the (AG)swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a [l](AH)blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great (AI)King,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and My name is [m](AJ)feared among the [n]nations.”
I Will Curse Your Blessings
2 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. 2 If you do (AK)not listen, and if you do not set it upon your heart to give [o]honor to My name,” says Yahweh of hosts, “then I will send the (AL)curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have (AM)cursed them already because you are not setting it upon your heart. 3 Behold, I am going to (AN)rebuke your seed, and I will (AO)spread [p]refuse on your faces, the [q]refuse of your (AP)feasts; and you will be taken away [r]with it. 4 Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, [s]that My (AQ)covenant may [t]continue with Levi,” says Yahweh of hosts. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and (AR)peace, and I gave them to him as something to be [u]feared; so he (AS)feared Me and stood in [v]awe of My name. 6 [w](AT)Instruction of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked (AU)with Me in peace and uprightness, and he (AV)turned many back from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should keep (AW)knowledge, and [x]men should (AX)seek [y]instruction from his mouth; for he is the (AY)messenger of Yahweh of hosts. 8 But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to (AZ)stumble [z]by the instruction; you have [aa](BA)corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of hosts. 9 “So (BB)I also have made you despised and (BC)low [ab]before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing (BD)partiality in the [ac]instruction.
Judah Profaned Yahweh’s Sanctuary
10 “Do we not all have (BE)one father? (BF)Has not one God created us? Why do we deal (BG)treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the (BH)covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has dealt (BI)treacherously, and an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has (BJ)profaned the sanctuary of Yahweh [ad]which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may (BK)Yahweh cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers or who (BL)presents [ae]an offering to Yahweh of hosts.
13 “And this is a second thing you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with groaning because He (BM)no longer regards the [af]offering or receives it as acceptable from your hand. 14 But you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because Yahweh has been a witness between you and the (BN)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt (BO)treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 [ag]But not one has (BP)done so, even one who has a remnant of the Spirit. And [ah]what did that one do while he was seeking a (BQ)godly seed? Be careful then to keep your spirit, and let no one deal (BR)treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 For [ai]I hate [aj](BS)divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and [ak]him who covers his garment with [al](BT)wrong,” says Yahweh of hosts. “Be careful then to keep your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
17 You have (BU)wearied Yahweh with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “(BV)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and He (BW)delights in them,” or, “(BX)Where is the God of (BY)justice?”
The Messenger and the Lord
3 “(BZ)Behold, I am going to send (CA)My [am]messenger, and he will [an](CB)prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; [ao]and the [ap](CC)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 “But who can (CD)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a (CE)smelter’s fire and like [aq]fullers’ soap. 3 And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will (CF)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may (CG)present to Yahweh [ar]offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the [as]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be (CH)pleasing to Yahweh as in the (CI)ancient days and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (CJ)sorcerers and against the (CK)adulterers and against those who (CL)swear falsely and against those who oppress the (CM)wage earner in his wages, the (CN)widow and the [at]orphan, and those who turn aside the (CO)sojourner and do not [au]fear Me,” says Yahweh of hosts. 6 “For [av]I, Yahweh, (CP)do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, [aw]are not consumed.
You Have Robbed God
7 “From the (CQ)days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. (CR)Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 “Will a man [ax]rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In (CS)tithes and [ay]contributions. 9 You are (CT)cursed with a curse, for you are [az]robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 (CU)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be [ba]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not (CV)open for you the windows of heaven and (CW)empty out for you a blessing until [bb](CX)it is beyond enough. 11 Then I will rebuke the (CY)devourer for you so that it will not corrupt the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field [bc]fail to bear,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “(CZ)So all the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a (DA)delightful land,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Arrogant Words
13 “Your words have been strong against Me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is (DB)worthless to serve God; and what (DC)gain is it that we have kept His charge and that we have walked in mourning before Yahweh of hosts? 15 So now we (DD)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and (DE)escape.’”
The Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who [bd]feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh (DF)gave heed and heard it, and a (DG)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who [be]fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. 17 “And they will be (DH)Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the (DI)day that I [bf]prepare My [bg](DJ)own treasured possession, and I will [bh]spare them as a man [bi](DK)spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will return and (DL)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
The Great Day of Yahweh
4 “[bj]For behold, the day is coming, (DM)burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every worker of wickedness will be (DN)chaff; and the day that is coming will (DO)set them aflame,” says Yahweh of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” 2 “But for you who [bk]fear My name, the (DP)sun of righteousness will rise with (DQ)healing in its wings; and you will go forth and (DR)skip about like calves from the stall. 3 And you will (DS)tread down the wicked, for they will be (DT)ashes under the soles of your feet (DU)on the day [bl]which I am preparing,” says Yahweh of hosts.
4 “[bm](DV)Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and judgments which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
5 “Behold, I am going to send you (DW)Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. 6 And he will (DX)turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and (DY)strike the land, [bn]devoting it to destruction.”
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