Malachi 1

1 An oracle. The message of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

The burden of a word of YHWH to Israel by the hand of Malachi:

2 ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. ‘But you ask, “How have you shown love to us?” Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ explains the Lord of hosts, ‘yet I loved Jacob,

“I have loved you, said YHWH, And you have said, In what have You loved us?

3 but hated Esau, and made his mountains a desolation, and transformed his ancestral land into a wilderness.

Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” A declaration of YHWH, “And I love Jacob, and Esau I have hated, And I make his mountains a desolation, And his inheritance for dragons of a wilderness.

4 When Edom says, “We are beaten down, but we will return and rebuild the ruined places”’ the Lord of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will throw down. They will be called, “The border land of wickedness,” the people against whom the Lord is angry forever.

Because Edom says, We have been made poor, And we return and we build the ruins, Thus said YHWH of Hosts: They build, and I destroy, And [men] have called to them, O region of wickedness, O people whom YHWH defied for all time.

5 Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, “the Lord’s greatness reaches beyond the border of Israel.”’

And your eyes see, and you say, YHWH is magnified beyond the border of Israel,

6 ‘A son honours his father and servant their master. If I am a father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is the one who fears me? So says the Lord to you, priests who despise my name. You ask, “How have we despised your name?”

A son honors a father, and a servant his master. And if I [am] a father, where [is] My glory? And if I [am] a master, where [is] My fear? Said YHWH of Hosts to you, O priests, despising My Name! And you have said, In what have we despised Your Name?

7 You offer on my altar bread that is polluted. You ask, “How have we polluted it?” Because you say, “The table of the Lord is contemptible.”

You are bringing defiled bread near on My altar, And you have said, In what have we defiled You? In your saying, The table of YHWH—it [is] despicable,

8 When you offer the blind animal for sacrifice, “It doesn’t matter!” And when you offer the lame and the sick “It doesn’t matter!” Give an animal like that to your governor; will he be pleased with it? Will he receive you favourably?’ says the Lord of hosts.

And when you bring the blind near for sacrifice, [saying], There is no evil, And when you bring the lame and sick near, [saying], There is no evil; Now bring it near to your governor—Does he accept you? Or does he lift up your face?” said YHWH of Hosts.

9 Now, plead for the favour of God with such an offering, so that he may be gracious to us. ‘Would I receive any of you favourably?’ says the Lord of hosts.

“And now, please appease the face of God, And He favors us; This has been from your own hand, Does He accept your faces?” said YHWH of Hosts.

10 ‘If only one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you could not kindle useless fires on my altar! I have no pleasure in you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘Nor will I accept an offering from your hand.

“Who [is] even among you, And he shuts the double doors? Indeed, you do not kindle My altar for nothing, I have no pleasure in you,” said YHWH of Hosts, “And I do not accept a present of your hand.

11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place they offer to my name a pure offering. For my name is great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts.

For from the rising of the sun to its going in, Great [is] My Name among nations, And in every place incense is brought near for My Name, and a pure present, For great [is] My Name among nations,” said YHWH of Hosts.

12 ‘But you profane me when you say, “The table of the Lord is polluted, and its food is contemptible.”

“And you are defiling it in your saying, The table of YHWH—it is defiled, As for its fruit—its food is despicable.

13 You say also, “How tired we are of all this!” and you sniff contemptuously at it. You have brought the blind, the lame and the sick as offerings. Should I accept this from your hand?’ says the Lord of hosts.

And you have said, Behold, what a weariness, And you have puffed at it,” said YHWH of Hosts, “And you have brought in plunder, And the lame and the sick, And you have brought in the present! Do I accept it from your hand?” said YHWH.

14 ‘Cursed be the cheat, who has in his flock a valuable male, but vows and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished animal! For I am a great king,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and my name is feared among the nations.’

“And a deceiver [is] cursed, who has in his drove a male, And is vowing, and is sacrificing a marred thing to the Lord, For I [am] a great King,” said YHWH of Hosts, “And My Name [is] revered among nations!”