Malachi 1
1
“I Loved Jacob, but Esau I Hated”
1This is a divine revelation. The Lord spoke his word to Israel through Malachi.
2“I loved you,” says the Lord.
“But you ask, ‘How did you love us?’
“Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “I loved Jacob, 3but Esau I hated. I turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the jackals in the desert.
4“The descendants of Esau may say, ‘We have been beaten down, but we will rebuild the ruins.’
“Yet, this is what the Lord of Armies says: They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. They will be called ‘the Wicked Land’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is always angry.’ 5You will see these things with your own eyes and say, ‘Even outside the borders of Israel the Lord is great.’
The Priests Offer Unacceptable Sacrifices to the LORD
6“This is what the Lord of Armies says: A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. So if I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my respect? You priests despise my name.
“But you ask, ‘How have we despised your name?’
7“You offer contaminated food on my altar.
“But you ask, ‘Then how have we contaminated you?’
“When you say that the Lord’s table may be despised. 8When you bring a blind animal to sacrifice, isn’t that wrong? When you bring a lame or a sick animal, isn’t that wrong? Try offering it to your governor. Would he accept it from you? Would he welcome you?” asks the Lord of Armies.
9“Now try asking God to be kind to you. This is what you are doing! Will he welcome you?” asks the Lord of Armies.
10“I wish one of you would shut the doors ⌞to my house⌟ so that you could not light fires on my altar for no reason. I’m not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Armies, “and I won’t accept your offerings.
11“From the nations where the sun rises to the nations where the sun sets, my name will be great. Incense and pure offerings will be offered everywhere in my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Armies. 12“But you dishonor it when you say that the Lord’s table may be contaminated and that its food may be despised.
13“You say, ‘Oh what a nuisance it is,’ and you sniff at it in disgust,” says the Lord of Armies. “You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?” asks the Lord.
14“Cheaters are under a curse. They have male animals in their flocks that they vow to give ⌞as a sacrifice⌟. But they sacrifice second-rate ones to the Lord instead. I am a great king,” says the Lord of Armies. “Among the nations my name is respected.
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Malachi 1: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Malachi 1
1
1I am Malachi. And this is the message that the Lord gave me for Israel.
The Lord's Love for Israel
2 #
Ro 9.13. #Is 34.5-17; 63.1-6; Jr 49.7-22; Ez 25.12-14; 35.1-15; Am 1.11,12; Ob 1-14. Israel, I, the Lord, have loved you. And yet you ask in what way have I loved you. Don't forget that Esau was the brother of your ancestor Jacob, but I chose Jacob 3instead of Esau. And I turned Esau's hill country into a barren desert where jackals#1.3 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller. roam. 4Esau's descendants may say, “Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild it.”
But I, the Lord All-Powerful, promise to tear down whatever they build. Then everyone will know that I will never stop being angry with them as long as they are so sinful.
5Israel, when you see this, you will shout, “The Lord's great reputation reaches beyond our borders.”
Judgment against Priests
6I, the Lord All-Powerful, have something to say to you priests. Children respect their fathers, and servants respect their masters. I am your father and your master, so why don't you respect me? You priests have insulted me, and now you ask, “How did we insult you?”
7You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, “How have we embarrassed you?” You have done it by saying, “What's so great about the Lord's altar?”
8 #
Dt 15.21. But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, lame, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you. 9I am the Lord God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.
10I wish someone would lock the doors of my temple, so you would stop wasting time building fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you priests, and I refuse to accept any more of your offerings. 11From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth, as they burn incense and offer the proper sacrifices to me. 12But even you priests insult me by saying, “There's nothing special about the Lord's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless.”
13You get so disgusted that you even make vulgar signs at me.#1.13 me: Or “the altar.” And for an offering, you bring stolen#1.13 stolen: Or “injured.” animals or those that are lame or sick. Should I accept these? 14Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the Lord All-Powerful, and I am worshiped by nations everywhere.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.