1¶ The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.2¶a "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'How have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" says the LORD. "Yet bI loved Jacob,3"and I hated Esau. And I c laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness."4Though Edom has said, "We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places," thus says the LORD of armies: "They will build, but I will dthrow down. And they will call them, 'The Territory of Wickedness,' and 'the people against whom the LORD has indignation forever.'5"And your eyes will see and you will say, e 'Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel.'"6¶ "'A son f honors his father and a servant his master. gIf then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?' says the LORD of armies to you priests who despise My name. hAnd you say, 'In what have we despised Your name?'7"You offer i defiled food on My altar. And you say, 'In what have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The j table of the LORD is contemptible.'"8"And kif you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor. Will he be pleased with you, or l accept you favorably?" says the LORD of armies.9"But now entreat God's favor so that He may be gracious to us. mWith such an offering on your part, will He show favor to any of you?" says the LORD of armies.10"Who is there even among you who will shut the doors nso that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you," says the LORD of armies, o"nor will I accept an offering from your hands.11"For pfrom the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same My name will be great qamong the Gentiles. And rin every place sincense will be offered to My name and a pure offering. tFor My name will be great among the nations," says the LORD of armies.12"But you have profaned it, in that you say, u'The table of the LORD is defiled, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.'"13"You also said, 'Behold, what a vweariness it is.' And you have disdainfully sniffed at it," says the LORD of armies. "And you bring the stolen, the lame and the sick. Thus you bring an offering. wShould I accept this from your hands?" says the LORD.14"But cursed is the xdeceiver who has in his flock a male, and vows and sacrifices to the Lord ywhat is blemished. For zI am a great King," says the LORD of armies, "and My name is feared among the nations."
Chapter 1: a Dt 4:37; 7:8; 23:5 b Rm 9:13 c Jr 49:18 d Jr 49:16-18 e Ps 35:27 f Ex 20:12 g Lk 6:46 h Ml 2:14 i Dt 15:21 j Ez 41:22 k Lv 22:22 l Jb 42:8 m Hs 13:9 n 1 Co 9:13 o Is 1:11 p Is 59:19 q Is 60:3,5 r 1 Tm 2:8 s Rv 8:3 t Is 66:18,19 u Ml 1:7 v Is 43:22 w Lv 22:20 x Ml 1:8 y Lv 22:18-20 z Ps 47:2
Chapter 2
Admonition to the Priests
1¶ "And now, O you apriests, this commandment is for you.2b"If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart to give glory to My name," says the LORD of armies, "I will even send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them calready because you do not take it to heart.3"Behold, I will rebuke your seed and spread drefuse on your faces, even the refuse of your offerings. Then one will etake you away with it.4"And you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, so that My covenant might be with Levi," says the LORD of armies.5f"My covenant was with him, one of life and peace. And I gave them to him for the fear with which ghe feared Me and was afraid before My name.6h"The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, and iturned many away from iniquity.7"For jthe priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law from his mouth. kFor he is the messenger of the LORD of armies.8"But you have departed out of the way. You have lcaused many to stumble at the law. mYou have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says the LORD of armies.9"Therefore, nI have also made you despised and base before all the people, according as you have not kept My ways, but have been opartial in the law.10¶p"Do we all not have one Father? qDid not one God create us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother by profaning the covenant of our fathers?11"Judah has dealt treacherously and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has rprofaned the holiness of the LORD that he loved and 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 awake and aware, yet swho brings an offering to the LORD of armies.13¶ "And another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with crying out, insomuch that He does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hand.14"Yet you say, 'For what reason?' It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the twife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though ushe is your companion and the wife of your covenant.15"And vdid not He make them one? In flesh and spirit they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking a wgodly offspring. Therefore, take heed to your spirit and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.16x"I hate divorce,"says the Lord God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD of armies. "Therefore, take heed to your spirit so that you do not deal treacherously."17¶yYou have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "Wherein have we wearied Him?" When you say, z"Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them," or, "Where is the God of justice?"
Chapter 2: a Ml 1:6 b Dt 28:15 c Ml 3:9 d Ex 29:14 e 1 Kg 14:10 f Nm 25:12 g Dt 33:9 h Dt 33:10 i Jr 23:22 j Dt 17:8-11 k Gl 4:14 l Jr 18:15 m Ne 13:29 n 1 Sm 2:30 o Dt 1:17 p 1 Co 8:6 q Jb 31:15 r Er 9:1,2 s Ne 13:29 t Ml 3:5 u Pv 2:17 v Mt 19:4,5 w 1 Co 7:14 x Mt 5:31; 19:6-8 y Is 43:22,24 z Is 5:20
Chapter 3
1¶ "Behold, aI will send My messenger and he will bprepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple, ceven the Messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, dHe is coming," says the LORD of armies.2"But who may endure the eday of His coming? And fwho will stand when He appears? For gHe is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap.3h"And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver so that they may ioffer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.4"Then the joffering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.5"Then I will come near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against kperjurers and against those who lexploit wage earners, the mwidow and the fatherless, and those who turn aside the foreigner and do not fear Me," says the LORD of armies.6¶ "For I am the LORD. nI do not change. oTherefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed.7"Even from the days of pyour fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. qReturn to Me and I will return to you," says the LORD of armies. r"But you said, 'How will we return?'8"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' sIn tithes and offerings.9"You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.10t"Bring all the tithes into the ustorehouse so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of armies, "if I will not open to you the vwindows of heaven and wpour out a blessing on you so that there will not be room enough to receive it.11"And I will rebuke the xdevourer for your sakes, and he will not destroy the fruits of your ground. Neither will your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field," says the LORD of armies.12"And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a ydelightful land," says the LORD of armies.13¶ "Your zwords have been harsh against Me," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against you?'14a"You 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 armies?15'And now bwe call the proud happy. Yes, those who work wickedness are built up. Yes, they ctempt God and go free.'16¶ Then those dwho feared the LORD espoke often to one another. And the LORD hearkened and heard it, and a fbook of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.17"And gthey will be Mine," says the LORD of armies, "in that day when I make up My hpeculiar treasure. And iI will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.18j"Then you will return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.
Chapter 3: a Mt 11:10; Mk 1:2; Lk 1:76; 7:27; Jn 1:23; 2:14,15 b Is 40:3 c Is 63:9 d Hk 2:7 e Ml 4:1 f Rv 6:17 g Mt 3:10-12 h Is 1:25 i 1 Pt 2:5 j Ml 1:11 k Zc 5:4 l Js 5:4 m Ex 22:22 n Rm 11:29 o Lm 3:22 p At 7:51 q Zc 1:3 r Ml 1:6 s Ne 13:10-12 t Pv 3:9,10 u 1 Ch 26:20 v Gn 7:11 w 2 Ch 31:10 x Am 4:9 y Dn 8:9 z Ml 2:17 a Jb 21:14 b Ps 73:12 c Ps 95:9 d Ps 66:16 e Hb 3:13 f Ps 56:8 g Ex 19:5 h Is 62:3 i Ps 103:13 j Ps 58:11
Chapter 4
The Day of the Lord
1¶ "For behold, the aday comes that will burn as an oven. And all the bproud, yes, and all who do wickedly will be cstubble. And the day that comes will burn them up," says the LORD of armies, "so that it will dleave them neither root nor branch.2"But to you who efear My name, the fSun of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings. And you will go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.3g"And you will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I will do this," says the LORD of armies.4¶ "Remember the hlaw of Moses My servant that I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the istatutes and judgments.5"Behold, I will send you jElijah the prophet kbefore the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.6"And lhe will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and mstrike the earth with a ncurse."
Chapter 4: a 2 Pt 3:7 b Ml 3:18 c Ob 18 d Am 2:9 e Ml 3:16 f Lk 1:78 g Mc 7:10 h Ex 20:3 i Dt 4:10 j Mt 11:14; 17:10-13; Mk 9:11-13; Lk 1:17; Jn 1:21 k Jl 2:31 l Lk 1:17 m Zc 14:12 n Zc 5:3