Malachi 1

1 An oracle: the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of his messenger. Lay [it], I pray you, to heart.

2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. Yet you say, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says the LORD, "Yet I loved Jacob;

I have loved you, says the Lord. And you said, Wherein have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,

3 but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness."

and hated Esau and laid waste his borders, and made his heritage as dwellings of the wilderness?

4 Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says the LORD of hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom the LORD shows wrath forever."

Because one will say, Idumea has been overthrown, but let us return and rebuild the desolate places; thus says the Lord Almighty, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall be called The borders of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord has set himself for ever.

5 Your eyes will see, and you will say, "The LORD is great—even beyond the border of Israel."

And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, The Lord has been magnified upon the borders of Israel.

6 "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the LORD of hosts to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?'

A son honours [his] father, and a servant his master: if then I am a father, where is mine honour? and if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord Almighty. You the priests are they that despise my name: yet you said, Wherein have we despised your name?

7 You offer defiled bread on my altar. You say, 'How have we defiled you?' In that you say, 'The LORD's table is despised, and its fruit, its food, is despised.'

In that you bring to mine altar polluted bread; and you said, Wherein have you polluted it? In that you say, The table of the Lord is polluted, and that which was set thereon you have despised.

8 When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor. Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says the LORD of hosts.

For if you bring a blind [victim] for sacrifices, [is it] not evil? and if you bring the lame or the sick, [is it] not evil? offer it now to your ruler, [and see] if he will receive you, if he will accept your person, says the Lord Almighty.

9 "Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says the LORD of hosts.

And now entreat the face of your God, and make supplication to him. These things have been done by your hands; shall I accept you? says the Lord Almighty.

10 "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain. I have no pleasure in you," says the LORD of hosts, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

Because even amongst you the doors shall be shut, and [one] will not kindle [the fire of] mine altar for nothing, I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will not accept a sacrifice at your hands.

11 For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says the LORD of hosts.

For from the rising of the sun even to the going down [thereof] my name has been glorified amongst the Gentiles; and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great amongst the Gentiles, says the Lord Almighty.

12 "But you profane it, in that you say, 'The LORD's table is defiled, and its fruit, its food, is despised.'

But you profane it, in that you say, The table of the Lord is polluted, and his meats set thereon are despised.

13 You say also, 'Look, what a weariness it is.' and you sniff scornfully at it," says the LORD of hosts; "and you have brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this from your hand?" says the LORD of hosts.

And you said, These [services] are troublesome: therefore I have utterly rejected them with scorn, says the Lord Almighty: and you brought in torn victims, and lame, and sick: if then you should bring an offering, shall I accept them at your hands? says the Lord Almighty.

14 "But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the LORD a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says the LORD of hosts, "and my name is awesome among the nations."

And cursed [is the man] who had the power, and possessed a male in his flock, and whose vow is upon him, and who sacrifices a corrupt thing to the Lord: for I am a great King, says the Lord Almighty, and my name is glorious amongst the nations.