Malachi 2

Warning to the Priests

1“Therefore, this decree # 2:1 Nah 1:14 is for you priests: 2If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart # 2:2 Is 42:25; 57:1; Jr 12:11 to honor my name,” says the Lord of Armies, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. # 2:2 Dt 28:20; Pr 3:33; 28:27; Mal 3:9 In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.

3“Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, # 2:3 Hs 4:6–8 and I will spread animal waste # 2:3 Dung or entrails over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, # 2:3 Ex 29:14; Lv 16:27 and you will be taken away with it. 4Then you will know that I sent you this decree, so that my covenant with Levi # 2:4 Nm 25:11–13; Dt 10:8; 33:8–11; Neh 13:29; Jr 33:17–22 may continue,” says the Lord of Armies. 5“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, # 2:5 1Sm 25:6; Pr 3:2 and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. # 2:5 Mal 1:6 6True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me # 2:6 Gn 5:22,24; 6:9; Mc 6:8 in peace and integrity and turned many from iniquity. # 2:6 Is 53:6; Jr 23:22; Ezk 3:19–20 7For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should desire instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Armies. # 2:7 2Ch 36:15–16; Hg 1:13

8“You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. # 2:8 Ex 32:8; Dt 31:29; Mal 3:7 You have caused many to stumble # 2:8 Pr 4:16; Is 8:14–15; Hs 14:1 by your instruction. You have violated # 2:8 Lit corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of Armies. 9“So I in turn have made you despised # 2:9 Mal 1:6–7 and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping my ways but are showing partiality in your instruction.” # 2:9 Lv 19:15; Dt 10:17; Ps 82:2; Mt 22:16; 1Tm 5:21; Jms 2:1,9

Judah’s Marital Unfaithfulness

10Don’t all of us have one Father? # 2:10 Ex 4:22–23; Is 63:16; Hs 11:1; Mal 1:6; Jn 8:41 Didn’t one God create us? # 2:10 Dt 32:6; Is 43:1–7; 64:8 Why then do we act treacherously against one another, # 2:10 Ex 21:8; Jdg 9:23; Jb 6:15; Is 21:2; Jr 3:20 profaning # 2:10 Nm 30:2; Ps 55:20; 89:34; Mal 1:12 the covenant of our ancestors? # 2:10 1Kg 8:21 11Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable # 2:11 Lv 18:22–30; Ezr 9:1–14; Neh 13:4–9 act has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned # 2:11 Jr 16:18; Ezk 44:7 the Lord’s sanctuary, # 2:11 Or profaned what is holy to the Lord,# 2:11 Ex 36:1–6; Zph 3:4 which he loves, # 2:11 Ps 78:68–69 and has married the daughter of a foreign god. # 2:11 = a woman who worshiped a foreign god,# 2:11 Dt 7:3–4; Ezr 9:1–2,10–14; Neh 13:23–30 12May the Lord cut off # 2:12 Ex 12:19; 31:14 from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, whoever he may be, # 2:12 Hb obscure,# 2:12 Ru 4:10; 1Sm 24:21 even if he presents an offering to the Lord of Armies.

13This is another thing you do. You are covering the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, # 2:13 Ps 6:6–10 because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. # 2:13 1Kg 8:28–30; Is 56:7

14And you ask, “Why? ” Because even though the Lord has been a witness # 2:14 Gn 31:50–53; Jdg 11:10; 1Sm 12:5 between you and the wife of your youth, # 2:14 Pr 2:16–17; 5:18; Is 54:6 you have acted treacherously against her. She was your marriage partner # 2:14 Ec 4:10 and your wife by covenant. # 2:14 Ezk 16:8,59–62; Hs 2:16–20 15Didn’t God make them one and give them a portion of spirit? What is the one seeking? # 2:15 Hb obscure Godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, # 2:15 Lit So guard yourselves in your spirit,# 2:15 Ex 23:13; Jos 23:11 so that no one acts treacherously against the wife of his # 2:15 Lit your youth.

16“If he hates # 2:16 Gn 29:31; Dt 21:15–17; 22:13,16; Jdg 15:2; Pr 30:23 and divorces his wife,” # 2:16 Dt 24:1–4 says the Lord God of Israel, “he # 2:16 Or The Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce and the one who covers his garment with injustice,” # 2:16 Gn 6:11,13; Ps 73:6; Jr 22:3; Hab 1:2–3 says the Lord of Armies. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, # 2:16 Lit Therefore, guard yourselves in your spirit and do not act treacherously.

Judgment at the Lord’s Coming

17You have wearied the Lord # 2:17 Is 43:22–24 with your words.

Yet you ask, “How have we wearied him? ”

When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and he is delighted with them, # 2:17 Dt 25:16; Mal 3:15 or else where is the God of justice? ” # 2:17 Neh 9:33; Is 40:27

Currently Selected:

Malachi 2: CSB

Highlight

Copy

Compare

Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in

Learn More About Christian Standard Bible

Malachi 2

1And now, O ye kohanim, this mitzvah is for you:

2If ye will not hear,

and if ye will not take it to lev,

to give kavod unto My name,

saith Hashem Tzva'os,

I will even send a me'erah (curse) upon you,

and I will curse your brakhot; yea,

I have cursed them already,

because ye do not take it to lev.

3Hineni, I am rebuking your zera,

and I will spread dung upon your faces,

even the dung of your chagim;

and it will take you away with it.

4And ye shall have da'as

that I have sent this mitzvah unto you,

that My brit might continue with Levi,

saith Hashem Tzva'os.

5My brit was with him of chayyim and shalom;

and I gave them to him

that he might fear Me; so he feared Me,

and stood in reverence before My name.

6Torat emes was in his mouth,

and iniquity was not found on his lips:

he walked with Me in shalom and yashrus,

and did turn rabbim (many) away from avon (iniquity).

7For the kohenʼs lips should preserve da'as,

and they should seek torah at his mouth:

for he is the malach Hashem Tzva'os.

8But ye are departed out of HaDerech;

ye have caused rabbim to fall into a michshol (stumbling block) at the torah (teaching);

ye have corrupted the Brit of Levi,

saith Hashem Tzva'os.

9Therefore have I also made you

contemptible and shefalim before kol HaAm

because ye have not been shomrim of darkhei of Me,

but have shown partiality in torah.

10Have we not all Av Echad?

Hath not El Echad created us?

Why do we commit chillul Brit Avoteinu

by every man breaking faith with his brother?

11Yehudah hath broken faith,

and a toeva (abomination) is committed

in Yisroel and in Yerushalayim;

for Yehudah hath committed chillul against

the Beis Hamikdash Hashem loves,

by marrying the bat el nekhar.

12May Hashem cut off from the ohalim of Ya'akov the man that doeth this,

being awake and aware,

yet who offereth a minchah unto Hashem Tzva'os.

13And this too have ye done,

covering the mizbe'ach of Hashem with tears,

with weeping, and with crying out,

because that He regardeth not the minchah any more,

nor receiveth it with ratzon (good will) at your hand.

14Yet ye say: Wherefore?

Because Hashem hath been ed (witness)

between thee and the wife of thy youth,

against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, breaking faith:

yet is she thy chaveret,

and the wife of thy brit.

15And did not Hashem make echad?

And the remnant of the ruach is Hashemʼs.

And why echad?

That He might seek zera Elohim.

Therefore be shomer of your ruach,

and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16For Hashem Elohei Yisroel saith

that He hateth putting away:

for it covereth oneʼs garment with chamas (violence),

saith the Hashem Tzva'os:

therefore, be shomer of your ruach,

that ye deal not treacherously, breaking faith.

17Ye have wearied Hashem with your devarim.

Yet ye say: Wherein have we wearied Him?

When ye say: Everyone that doeth rah

is tov in the sight of Hashem,

and in them Hashem finds chafetz;

or: Where is Elohei HaMishpat?

THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE

Learn More About The Orthodox Jewish Bible