Priests to Be Disciplined
2 “And now, this commandment is for you, the priests. 2 If you do (A)not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of armies, “then I will send the (B)curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have (C)cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3 Behold, I am going to (D)rebuke your [a]descendants, and I will (E)spread [b]dung on your faces, the [c]dung of your (F)feasts; and you will be taken away [d]with it. 4 Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, [e]so that My (G)covenant may [f]continue with Levi,” says the Lord of armies. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and (H)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of [g]reverence; so he [h](I)revered Me and was in awe of My name. 6 [i](J)True instruction was in his mouth and injustice was not found on his lips; he walked (K)with Me in peace and justice, and he (L)turned many back from wrongdoing. 7 For the lips of a priest should maintain (M)knowledge, and people should (N)seek [j]instruction from his mouth; for he is the (O)messenger of the Lord of armies. 8 But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to (P)stumble [k]by the instruction; you have (Q)ruined the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of armies. 9 “So (R)I also have made you despised and of (S)low reputation [l]in the view of all the people, since you are not keeping My ways but are showing (T)partiality in the [m]instruction.”
Sin in the Family
10 Do we not all have (U)one Father? (V)Is it not one God who has created us? Why do we deal (W)treacherously, each against his brother so as to profane the (X)covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has dealt (Y)treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has (Z)profaned the sanctuary of the Lord [n]which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the (AA)Lord eliminate from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and answers, or who (AB)presents [o]an offering to the Lord of armies.
13 And this is [p]another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He (AC)no longer gives attention to the [q]offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the (AD)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt (AE)treacherously, though she is your marriage companion and your wife by covenant. 15 [r]But not one has (AF)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And [s]why the one? He was seeking a (AG)godly offspring. Be careful then about your spirit, and see that none of you deals (AH)treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 “For [t]I hate [u](AI)divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and [v]him who covers his garment with (AJ)violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
17 You have (AK)wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “(AL)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He (AM)delights in them,” or, “(AN)Where is the God of (AO)justice?”
Footnotes
- Malachi 2:3 Lit seed
- Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
- Malachi 2:3 Or vomit
- Malachi 2:3 Lit to
- Malachi 2:4 Or to be My covenant with
- Malachi 2:4 Lit be
- Malachi 2:5 Or fear
- Malachi 2:5 Or feared
- Malachi 2:6 Or Law of truth
- Malachi 2:7 Or the Law
- Malachi 2:8 Or in the Law
- Malachi 2:9 Lit to
- Malachi 2:9 Or law
- Malachi 2:11 Or in that he has loved and married
- Malachi 2:12 Or a grain offering
- Malachi 2:13 Lit a second
- Malachi 2:13 Or grain offering
- Malachi 2:15 Or Did He not make one, although He had the remnant
- Malachi 2:15 Or what did the one do while he was seeking
- Malachi 2:16 Lit He hates
- Malachi 2:16 Lit sending away
- Malachi 2:16 Lit he covers
Cross references
- Malachi 2:2 : Lev 26:14, 15; Deut 28:15
- Malachi 2:2 : Deut 28:16-20
- Malachi 2:2 : Mal 3:9
- Malachi 2:3 : Lev 26:16; Deut 28:38
- Malachi 2:3 : Nah 3:6
- Malachi 2:3 : Ex 29:14
- Malachi 2:4 : Num 3:11-13, 45; 18:21; Neh 13:29; Mal 3:1
- Malachi 2:5 : Num 25:12
- Malachi 2:5 : Num 25:7, 8, 13
- Malachi 2:6 : Ps 119:142, 151, 160
- Malachi 2:6 : Deut 33:8, 9; Ps 37:37
- Malachi 2:6 : Jer 23:22
- Malachi 2:7 : Lev 10:11; Neh 8:7
- Malachi 2:7 : Num 27:21; Deut 17:8-11; Jer 18:18; Ezek 7:26
- Malachi 2:7 : Hag 1:13
- Malachi 2:8 : Jer 18:15
- Malachi 2:8 : Num 25:12, 13; Neh 13:29; Ezek 44:10
- Malachi 2:9 : Nah 3:6
- Malachi 2:9 : Ezek 7:26
- Malachi 2:9 : Deut 1:17; Mic 3:11
- Malachi 2:10 : Is 63:16; 64:8; Jer 31:9; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6
- Malachi 2:10 : Acts 17:24f
- Malachi 2:10 : Jer 9:4, 5
- Malachi 2:10 : Ex 19:4-6; 24:3, 7, 8
- Malachi 2:11 : Jer 3:7-9
- Malachi 2:11 : Ezra 9:1, 2
- Malachi 2:12 : Ezek 24:21; Hos 9:12
- Malachi 2:12 : Mal 1:10, 13
- Malachi 2:13 : Jer 11:14; 14:12
- Malachi 2:14 : Is 54:6
- Malachi 2:14 : Jer 9:2; Mal 3:5
- Malachi 2:15 : Gen 2:24; Matt 19:4, 5
- Malachi 2:15 : Ruth 4:12; 1 Sam 2:20
- Malachi 2:15 : Ex 20:14; Lev 20:10
- Malachi 2:16 : Deut 24:1; Matt 5:31; 19:6-8
- Malachi 2:16 : Ps 73:6; Is 59:6
- Malachi 2:17 : Is 43:22, 24
- Malachi 2:17 : Is 5:20; Zeph 1:12
- Malachi 2:17 : Job 9:24
- Malachi 2:17 : 2 Pet 3:4
- Malachi 2:17 : Is 5:19; Jer 17:15