Malakias 2

1 Og nu udgaar følgende Paabud til eder, I Præster:

And now, O priests, this command is to you.

2 Hvis I ikke adlyder og lægger eder paa Sinde at holde mit Navn i Ære, siger Hærskarers HERRE, saa sender jeg Forbandelse over eder og vender eders Velsignelse til Forbandelse, ja til Forbandelse, fordi I ikke lægger eder det paa Sinde.

If you will refuse to listen, and if you will refuse to take it to heart, so as to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send destitution upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yes, I will curse them. For you have not taken it to heart.

3 Se, jeg afhugger Armen paa eder og kaster Skarn i Ansigtet paa eder, Skarnet fra eders Højtider, og eders Ofre oven i Købet;

Behold, I will cast forth an arm to you, and I will scatter across your face the dung of your solemnities, and it will take you to itself.

4 og I skal kende, at jeg har sendt eder dette Paabud, fordi jeg har en Pagt med Levi, siger Hærskarers HERRE.

And you will know that I sent you this commandment, so that my covenant might be with Levi, says the Lord of hosts.

5 Min Pagt med ham var, at jeg skulde give ham Liv og Fred, og han skulde frygte mig og bæve for mit Navn;

My covenant was with him for life and peace. And I gave him fear, and he feared me, and he was afraid before the face of my name.

6 Sandheds Lære var i hans Mund, Svig fandtes ikke paa hans Læber; i Fred og Sanddruhed vandrede han med mig, og mange holdt han fra Brøde.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned away many from iniquity.

7 Thi Præstens Læber vogter paa Kundskab, og Vejledning søger man af hans Mund; thi han er Hærskarers HERRES Sendebud.

For the lips of the priests will keep knowledge, and they will request the law from his mouth, because he is an angel of the Lord of hosts.

8 Men I veg bort fra Vejen; mange har I bragt til Fald ved eders Vejledning, Levis Pagt har I ødelagt, siger Hærskarers HERRE.

But you have withdrawn from the way, and you have scandalized very many in the law. You have nullified the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts.

9 Derfor har jeg ogsaa gjort eder ringeagtede og oversete af alt Folket, fordi I ikke tager Vare paa mine Veje eller bryder eder om Loven.

Because of this, I also have made you contemptible and debased to all the people, just as you have not served my ways, and you have accepted a face in the law.

10 Har vi ikke alle en og samme Fader, er det ikke en og samme Gud, som har skabt os? Hvorfor er vi da troløse mod hverandre, saa vi vanhelliger vore Fædres Pagt?

Is there not one Father of us all? Did not one God create us? Why, then, does each one of us despise his brother, violating the covenant of our fathers?

11 Juda er troløst, og Vederstyggelighed øves i Israel og Jerusalem; thi Juda vanhelliger den Helligdom, HERREN elsker, og tager en fremmed Guds Datter til Ægte.

Judah has transgressed, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has contaminated the sanctified of the Lord, which he loved, and has held the daughter of a strange god.

12 HERREN unddrage den Mand, som gør sligt, en til at vaage og svare i Jakobs Telte og en til at frembære Offergave for Hærskarers HERRE!

The Lord will drive away the man who has done this, both the teacher and the disciple, from the tabernacles of Jacob and from those offering a gift to the Lord of hosts.

13 Og for det andet gør I dette: I hyller HERRENS Alter i Taarer, Graad og Klage, saa han ikke mere vender sig til Offergaven eller med Glæde modtager Gaver af eders Haand.

And you have done this repeatedly: you have covered the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and bellowing, to such an extent that I no longer have respect towards the sacrifice, nor do I accept any appeasement that is from your hands.

14 Og I spørger: »Hvorfor?« Fordi HERREN var Vidne mellem dig og din Ungdomshustru, mod hvem du har været troløs, skønt hun hører til dit Folk og deler din Tro.

And you have said, “What is the reason for this?” It is because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have despised. Yet she was your partner, and the wife of your covenant.

15 Saaledes gør ingen, saa længe der er Aand i ham. Hvorledes har det sig med ham? Han ønsker Afkom for Gud. Saa tag Vare paa eders Aand, og ingen være troløs imod sin Ungdomshustru!

Did not One make her, and is she not the remainder of his spirit? And what does one seek, except offspring of God? So then, preserve your spirit, and do not despise the wife of your youth.

16 Thi jeg hader Skilsmisse, siger HERREN, Israels Gud, og at man hyller sin Klædning i Uret, siger Hærskarers HERRE. Saa tag eder i Vare for eders Aands Skyld og vær ikke troløse!

If you would hold hatred, dismiss her, says the Lord, the God of Israel. But iniquity will cover his garment, says the Lord of hosts. Preserve your spirit, and do not be willing to despise.

17 I trætter HERREN med eders Ord. Og I spørger: »Hvorved trætter vi?« Ved at sige: »Enhver som gør ondt, er god i HERRENS Øjne; i dem har han Behag; hvor er ellers Dommens Gud?«

You have wearied the Lord with your speeches, and you have said, “In what way, have we wearied him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and such as these please him,” or certainly, “Where is the God of judgment?”