Malachi 1

1 An oracle: the word of Jehovah 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 Jehovah. Yet you say, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says Jehovah, "Yet I loved Jacob;

I have loved you, saith the Lord. And ye said, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith 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 Jehovah of hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom Jehovah shows wrath forever."

Because one will say, Idumea has been overthrown, but let us return and rebuild the desolate places; thus saith 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, "Jehovah is great—even beyond the border of Israel."

And your eyes shall see, and ye 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 Jehovah of hosts to you, cohanim, 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? saith the Lord Almighty. Ye the priests are they that despise my name: yet ye said, Wherein have we despised thy name?

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

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

For if ye bring a blind [victim] for sacrifices, [is it] not evil? and if ye bring the lame or the sick, [is it] not evil? offer it now to thy ruler, [and see] if he will receive thee, if he will accept thy person, saith 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 Jehovah of hosts.

And now intreat the face of your God, and make supplication to him. These things have been done by your hands; shall I accept you? saith 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 Jehovah of hosts, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

Because even among you the doors shall be shut, and [one] will not kindle [the fire of] mine altar for nothing, I have no pleasure in you, saith 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 Jehovah of hosts.

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

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

But ye profane it, in that ye 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 Jehovah 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 Jehovah of hosts.

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

14 "But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to Jehovah a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says Jehovah 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, saith the Lord Almighty, and my name is glorious among the nations.