Malachi 2

1 And now, O you priests, this order is for you.

And now to you, O ye priests, is this commandment:

2 If you will not give ear and take it to heart, to give glory to my name, says the Lord of armies, then I will send the curse on you and will put a curse on your blessing: truly, even now I have put a curse on it, because you do not take it to heart.

If ye will not hearken, If ye will not lay it to heart, To give glory to my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings; Yea, I have cursed them already, Because ye do not lay it to heart.

3 See, I will have your arm cut off, and will put waste on your faces, even the waste from your feasts; and you will be taken away with it.

Behold, I will rebuke your seed, And I will scatter dung in your faces, The dung of your solemn feasts, And ye shall be carried to it.

4 And you will be certain that I have sent this order to you, so that it might be my agreement with Levi, says the Lord of armies.

And ye shall know that I have sent to you this commandment, That my covenant may remain with Levi, Saith Jehovah of hosts.

5 My agreement with him was on my side life and peace, and I gave them to him; on his side fear, and he had fear of me and gave honour to my name.

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

6 True teaching was in his mouth, and no evil was seen on his lips: he was walking with me in peace and righteousness, turning numbers of people away from evil-doing.

The law of truth was in his mouth, And unrighteousness was not found in his lips; He walked with me in truth and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.

7 For it is right for the priest's lips to keep knowledge, and for men to be waiting for the law from his mouth: for he is the servant sent from the Lord of armies.

For the lips of the priest should keep knowledge, And men should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.

8 But you are turned out of the way; you have made the law hard for numbers of people; you have made the agreement of Levi of no value, says the Lord of armies.

But ye have departed from the way, Ye have caused many to stumble at the law, And ye have made void the covenant with Levi, Saith Jehovah of hosts.

9 And so I have taken away your honour and made you low before all the people, even as you have not kept my ways, and have given no thought to me in using the law.

Therefore will I also make you Despicable and base before all the people; According as ye have not kept my ways. But have had respect to persons in the law.

10 Have we not all one father? has not one God made us? why are we, every one of us, acting falsely to his brother, putting shame on the agreement of our fathers?

Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us? Why should we deal treacherously one against another, And profane the covenant made with our fathers?

11 Judah has been acting falsely, and a disgusting thing has been done in Jerusalem; for Judah has made unclean the holy place of the Lord which is dear to him, and has taken as his wife the daughter of a strange god.

Judah hath dealt treacherously, And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah hath profaned the holy people of Jehovah, which he loveth, And hath married the daughter of a strange god.

12 The Lord will have the man who does this cut off root and branch out of the tents of Jacob, and him who makes an offering to the Lord of armies.

Jehovah will cut off the man that doeth this, Him that waketh and him that answereth, from the tents of Jacob, And him that bringeth an offering to Jehovah of hosts.

13 And this again you do: covering the altar of the Lord with weeping and with grief, so that he gives no more thought to the offering, and does not take it with pleasure from your hand.

And this also ye do: Ye cover the altar of Jehovah with tears, With weeping and with groans, So that he no more hath regard to the offering, Nor receiveth it with good-will from your hand.

14 But you say, For what reason? Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your early years, to whom you have been untrue, though she is your friend and the wife to whom you have given your word.

Yet ye say, “Wherefore?” It is because Jehovah has been a witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, Against whom thou hast dealt unfaithfully, Although she was thy companion and thy covenanted wife.

15 ... So give thought to your spirit, and let no one be false to the wife of his early years.

But did not He make one only? And yet had he a residue of the spirit; And wherefore one? He sought a godly race. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And be not unfaithful to the wife of thy youth!

16 For I am against the putting away of a wife, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and against him who is clothed with violent acts, says the Lord of armies: so give thought to your spirit and do not be false in your acts.

For I hate him that putteth away, Saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, And him that covereth his garment with violence, Saith Jehovah of hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and be not unfaithful.

17 You have made the Lord tired with your words. And still you say, How have we made him tired? By your saying, Everyone who does evil is good in the eyes of the Lord, and he has delight in them; or, Where is God the judge?

Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words; Yet ye say, “Wherein have we wearied him?” In that ye say, “Every one of them that do evil Is good in the sight of Jehovah, And in them he hath delight”; Or, “Where is the God of judgment?”