Malachi 2
2
Warning to the Priests
1“Therefore, this decree # Nah 1:14 is for you priests: 2If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart # Is 42:25; 57:1; Jr 12:11 to honor My name,” says Yahweh of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. # 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, # Hs 4:6-8 and I will spread animal waste # Dung or entrails over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, # 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 My covenant with Levi # Nm 25:11-13; Dt 10:8; 33:8-11; Neh 13:29; Jr 33:17-22 may continue,” says the Lord of Hosts. 5“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, # 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. # Mal 1:6 6True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with Me # Gn 5:22,24; 6:9; Mc 6:8 in peace and fairness and turned many from sin. # Is 53:6; Jr 23:22; Ezk 3:19-20 7For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. # 2Ch 36:15-16; Hg 1:13
8“You, on the other hand, have turned from the way. # Ex 32:8; Dt 31:29; Mal 3:7 You have caused many to stumble # Pr 4:16; Is 8:14-15; Hs 14:1 by your instruction. You have violated # Lit corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of Hosts. 9“So I in turn have made you despised # Mal 1:6-7 and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in your instruction.” # 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? # Ex 4:22-23; Is 63:16; Hs 11:1; Mal 1:6; Jn 8:41 Didn’t one God create us? # Dt 32:6; Is 43:1-7; 64:8 Why then do we act treacherously against one another, # Ex 21:8; Jdg 9:23; Jb 6:15; Is 21:2; Jr 3:20 profaning # Nm 30:2; Ps 55:20; 89:34; Mal 1:12 the covenant of our fathers? # 1Kg 8:21 11Judah has acted treacherously, and a detestable # Lv 18:22-30; Ezr 9:1-14; Neh 13:4-9 thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned # Jr 16:18; Ezk 44:7 the Lord’s sanctuary, # Or profaned what is holy to the Lord # Ex 36:1-6; Zph 3:4 which He loves, # Ps 78:68-69 and has married the daughter of a foreign god. # = a woman who worshiped a foreign god # Dt 7:3-4; Ezr 9:1-2,10-14; Neh 13:23-30 12To the man who does this, may the Lord cut off # Ex 12:19; 31:14 any descendants # One Hb ms, LXX, DSS read off one witnessing or answering # Lit off one waking or answering ; Hb obscure # Ru 4:10; 1Sm 24:21 from the tents of Jacob, even if they present an offering to the Lord of Hosts.
13And this is another thing you do: you cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, # Ps 6:6-10 because He no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. # 1Kg 8:28-30; Is 56:7
14Yet you ask, “For what reason? ” Because the Lord has been a witness # Gn 31:50-53; Jdg 11:10; 1Sm 12:5 between you and the wife of your youth. # Pr 2:16-17; 5:18; Is 54:6 You have acted treacherously against her, though she was your marriage partner # Ec 4:10 and your wife by covenant. # Ezk 16:8,59-62; Hs 2:16-20 15Didn’t the one God make us with a remnant of His life-breath? And what does the One seek? # Or Did the One not make them? So their flesh and spirit belong to Him, or No one who does this even has a remnant of the Spirit in him ; Hb obscure A godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, # Lit So guard yourselves in your spirit # Ex 23:13; Jos 23:11 and do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth.
16“If he hates # Gn 29:31; Dt 21:15-17; 22:13,16; Jdg 15:2; Pr 30:23 and divorces his wife, # Dt 24:1-4” says the Lord God of Israel, “he # Or The Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce and the one who covers his garment with injustice,” # Gn 6:11,13; Ps 73:6; Jr 22:3; Hab 1:2-3 says the Lord of Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, # Lit Therefore, guard yourselves in your spirit and do not act treacherously.
Judgment at the Lord’s Coming
17You have wearied the Lord # 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 pleased with them,” # Dt 25:16; Mal 3:15 or “Where is the God of justice? ” # Neh 9:33; Is 40:27
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Malachi 2: HCSB
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Malachi 2
2
The Priests Do Not Teach the LORD’s Word Correctly
1“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2If you won’t listen and if you won’t consider giving honor to my name,” says the Lord of Armies, “then I’ll send a curse on you, and I’ll curse the blessings you give. Yes, I’ve already cursed them because you don’t carefully consider this.
3“I’m going to punish your descendants. I’m going to spread excrement on your faces, the excrement from your festival sacrifices. You will be discarded with it. 4Then you will know that I sent you this warning so that my promise #2:4 Or “covenant.” to Levi will continue,” says the Lord of Armies. 5“I promised Levi life and peace. I gave them to him so that he would respect me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. 6The teaching that came from his mouth was true. Nothing unjust was found on his lips. He lived with me in peace and honesty and turned many people away from sin.
7“A priest’s lips should preserve knowledge. Then, because he is the messenger for the Lord of Armies, people will seek instruction from his mouth.
8“But you have turned from the ⌞correct⌟ path and caused many to stumble over my teachings. You have corrupted the promise made to Levi,” says the Lord of Armies. 9“So I have made you disgusting, and I have humiliated you in front of all the people, because you have not followed my ways. You have been unfair when ⌞applying⌟ my teachings.”
The People Break Their Marriage Vows
10Don’t all of us have the same father? Hasn’t the same God created us? Why are we unfaithful to each other? And why do we dishonor the promise given to our ancestors? 11Judah has been unfaithful! A disgusting thing has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has dishonored the holy place that the Lord loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god. 12May the Lord exclude anyone who does this, whoever he may be. May he exclude them from Jacob’s tents and from bringing offerings to the Lord of Armies.
13Here is another thing you do: You cover the Lord’s altar with tears. You moan and groan because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them from you.
14But you ask, “Why ⌞aren’t our offerings accepted⌟?” It is because the Lord is a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been unfaithful. Yet, she is your companion, the wife of your marriage vows. 15Didn’t ⌞God⌟ make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. And what does the same ⌞God⌟ look for but godly descendants? So be careful not to be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
16“I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel. “I hate the person who covers himself with violence,” says the Lord of Armies. “Be careful not to be unfaithful.”
17You have tried the patience of the Lord with your words.
But you ask, “How have we tried his patience?”
When you say, “Everyone who does evil is considered good by the Lord. He is pleased with them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”
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