Malachi 1
1 The birthun of the word of the Lord to Israel, in the hond of Malachie, the profete.
An oracle. The message of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.
2 Y louyde you, seith the Lord, and ye seiden, In what thing louydist thou vs? Whether Esau was not the brother of Jacob, seith the Lord, and Y louyde Jacob,
“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,
3 forsothe Y hatide Esau? And Y haue put Seir the hillis of hym in to wildirnesse, and his eritage in to dragouns of desert.
but hated Esau, and made his mountains a desolation, and transformed his ancestral land into a wilderness.
4 That if Idumee seith, We ben distried, but we schulen turne ayen, and bilde tho thingis that ben distried; the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, These schulen bilde, and Y schal distrie; and thei schulen be clepid termes of wickidnesse, and a puple to whom the Lord is wroth, til in to with outen ende.
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.
5 And youre iyen schulen se, and ye schulen seie, The Lord be magnefied on the terme of Israel.
Your own eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘the Lord’s greatness reaches beyond the border of Israel.’”
6 The sone onourith the fader, and the seruaunt schal drede his lord; therfor if Y am fadir, wher is myn onour? and if Y am lord, where is my drede? seith the Lord of oostis. A! ye prestis, to you that dispisen my name; and ye seiden, Wherynne han we dispisid thi name?
“A son honors his father and servant their master. If I am a father, where is my honor? 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?’
7 Ye offren on myn auter vncleene breed, and ye seien, Wherynne han we defoulid thee? In that thing that ye seien, The boord of the Lord is dispisid.
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.’
8 If ye offren a blynd beest to be sacrifisid, whether it is not yuel? And if ye offren a crokid and sike beeste, whether it is not yuel? Offre thou it to thi duyk, if it schal plese hym, ether if he schal resseyue thi face, seith the Lord of oostis.
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 favorably?” says the Lord of hosts.
9 And now biseche ye the cheer of the Lord, that he haue merci on you; for of youre hond this thing is doon, if in ony maner he resseiue youre faces, seith the Lord of oostis.
Now, plead for the favor of God with such an offering, so that he may be gracious to us. “Would I receive any of you favorably?” says the Lord of hosts.
10 Who is `in you that closith doris, and brenneth myn auter `of his owne wille, ethir freli? Wille is not to me in you, seith the Lord of oostis; and Y schal not resseyue a yifte of youre hond.
“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.
11 For fro rysyng of the sunne til to goyng doun, my name is greet in hethene men; and in ech place a cleene offring is sacrifisid, and offrid to my name; for my name is greet in hethene men, seith the Lord of oostis.
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.
12 And ye han defoulid it in that that ye seien, The boord of the Lord is defoulid, and that that is put aboue is `worthi to be dispisid, with fier that deuourith it.
“But you profane me when you say, ‘The table of the Lord is polluted, and its food is contemptible.’
13 And ye seiden, Lo! of trauel; and ye han blowe it a wei, seith the Lord of oostis. And ye brouyten in of raueyns a crokid thlng and sijk, and brouyten in a yifte; whether Y schal resseyue it of youre hond? seith the Lord.
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.
14 Cursid is the gileful, that hath in his floc a male beeste, and `he makynge a vow offrith a feble to the Lord; for Y am a greet kyng, seith the Lord of oostis, and my name is dredeful `in folkis.
“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.”
