Study Desk

An oracle:^(a) The word of the Lord ^(b) to Israel through^(c) Malachi.^[a]

"I have loved you,"^(d) says the Lord . But you ask: "How have You loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?"^(e) This is the Lord 's declaration. "Even so, I loved Jacob,

but I hated Esau.^(f) I turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave his inheritance to the desert jackals."^(g)

Though Edom says: "We have been devastated, but we will rebuild^[b] the ruins," the Lord of Hosts says this: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country^(h) and the people the Lord has cursed^[c] forever.⁽ⁱ⁾

Your own eyes will see this, and you yourselves will say, ‘The Lord is great, even beyond^[d] the borders of Israel.'^(j)

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?^(k) says Yahweh of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised Your name?"

"By presenting defiled food on My altar." You ask: "How have we defiled You?"^(l) When you say: "The Lord 's table is contemptible."^(m)

"When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong?⁽ⁿ⁾ Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts.

"And now ask for God's favor. Will He be gracious to us?^(o) Since this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?"^(p) asks the Lord of Hosts.

"I wish one of you would shut the temple doors,^(q) so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar!^(r) I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of Hosts, "and I will accept^(s) no offering from your hands.^(t)

"For My name will be great among the nations,^(u) from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense^[e] and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations,"^[f] says Yahweh of Hosts.

But you are profaning it^(v) when you say: "The Lord's table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible."

You also say: "Look, what a nuisance!" "And you scorn^[g] it,"^[h](w) says the Lord of Hosts. "You bring stolen,^[i](x) lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?" asks the Lord .

"The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord.^(y) For I am a great King," says Yahweh of Hosts, "and My name^[j] will be feared among the nations.

"Therefore, this decree^(a) is for you priests:

If you don't listen, and if you don't take it to heart^(b) to honor My name," says Yahweh of Hosts, "I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings.^(c) In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.

"Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants,^(d) and I will spread animal waste^[a] over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices,^(e) and you will be taken away with it.

Then you will know that I sent you this decree so My covenant with Levi^(f) may continue," says the Lord of Hosts.

"My covenant with him was one of life and peace,^(g) and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.^(h)

True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with Me⁽ⁱ⁾ in peace and fairness and turned many from sin.^(j)

For 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.^(k)

"You, on the other hand, have turned from the way.^(l) You have caused many to stumble^(m) by your instruction. You have violated^[b] the covenant of Levi," says the Lord of Hosts.

"So I in turn have made you despised⁽ⁿ⁾ and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in your instruction."^(o)