Study Desk

A prophecy:^(a) The word^(b) of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.^[a]

"I have loved^(c) you," says the Lord . "But you ask,^(d) ‘How have you loved us?' "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the Lord . "Yet I have loved Jacob,^(e)

but Esau I have hated,^(f) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland^(g) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.^(h)"

Edom⁽ⁱ⁾ may say, "Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild^(j) the ruins." But this is what the Lord Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish.^(k) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord .^(l)

You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great^(m) is the Lord —even beyond the borders of Israel!'⁽ⁿ⁾

"A son honors his father,^(o) and a slave his master.^(p) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect^(q) due me?" says the Lord Almighty.^(r) "It is you priests who show contempt for my name. "But you ask,^(s) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?'

"By offering defiled food^(t) on my altar. "But you ask,^(u) ‘How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the Lord 's table^(v) is contemptible.

When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,^(w) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased^(x) with you? Would he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty.^(y)

"Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings^(z) from your hands, will he accept^(aa) you?"—says the Lord Almighty.

"Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors,^(ab) so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased^(ac) with you," says the Lord Almighty, "and I will accept^(ad) no offering^(ae) from your hands.

My name will be great^(af) among the nations,^(ag) from where the sun rises to where it sets.^(ah) In every place incense^(ai) and pure offerings^(aj) will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.

"But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord's table^(ak) is defiled,' and, ‘Its food^(al) is contemptible.'

And you say, ‘What a burden!'^(am) and you sniff at it contemptuously,^(an)" says the Lord Almighty. "When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices,^(ao) should I accept them from your hands?"^(ap) says the Lord .

"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal^(aq) to the Lord. For I am a great king,^(ar)" says the Lord Almighty,^(as) "and my name is to be feared^(at) among the nations.^(au)

Additional Warning to the Priests

"And now, you priests, this warning is for you.^(a)

If you do not listen,^(b) and if you do not resolve to honor^(c) my name," says the Lord Almighty, "I will send a curse^(d) on you, and I will curse your blessings.^(e) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

"Because of you I will rebuke your descendants^[a]; I will smear on your faces the dung^(f) from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.^(g)

And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi^(h) may continue," says the Lord Almighty.

"My covenant was with him, a covenant⁽ⁱ⁾ of life and peace,^(j) and I gave them to him; this called for reverence^(k) and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.

True instruction^(l) was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked^(m) with me in peace⁽ⁿ⁾ and uprightness,^(o) and turned many from sin.^(p)

"For the lips of a priest^(q) ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger^(r) of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.^(s)

But you have turned from the way^(t) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;^(u) you have violated the covenant^(v) with Levi,"^(w) says the Lord Almighty.

"So I have caused you to be despised^(x) and humiliated^(y) before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality^(z) in matters of the law."^(aa)

Do we not all have one Father^[b]?^(ab) Did not one God create us?^(ac) Why do we profane the covenant^(ad) of our ancestors by being unfaithful^(ae) to one another?

Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable^(af) thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves^(ag) by marrying^(ah) women who worship a foreign god.^(ai)

As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove^(aj) him from the tents of Jacob^[c](ak)—even though he brings an offering^(al) to the Lord Almighty.

Another thing you do: You flood the Lord 's altar with tears.^(am) You weep and wail^(an) because he no longer looks with favor^(ao) on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.^(ap)

You ask,^(aq) "Why?" It is because the Lord is the witness^(ar) between you and the wife of your youth.^(as) You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.^(at)

Has not the one God made you?^(au) You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring.^[d](av) So be on your guard,^(aw) and do not be unfaithful^(ax) to the wife of your youth.

"The man who hates and divorces his wife,^(ay)" says the Lord , the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect,"^[e](az) says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard,^(ba) and do not be unfaithful.

You have wearied^(bb) the Lord with your words. "How have we wearied him?" you ask.^(bc) By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord , and he is pleased^(bd) with them" or "Where is the God of justice?^(be)"

"I will send my messenger,^(a) who will prepare the way before me.^(b) Then suddenly the Lord^(c) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,^(d) whom you desire,^(e) will come," says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure^(f) the day of his coming?^(g) Who can stand^(h) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire⁽ⁱ⁾ or a launderer's soap.^(j)

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;^(k) he will purify^(l) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.^(m) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,⁽ⁿ⁾

and the offerings^(o) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord , as in days gone by, as in former years.^(p)

"So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,^(q) adulterers^(r) and perjurers,^(s) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,^(t) who oppress the widows^(u) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners^(v) among you of justice, but do not fear^(w) me," says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

"I the Lord do not change.^(x) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.^(y)

Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away^(z) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return^(aa) to me, and I will return to you,"^(ab) says the Lord Almighty. "But you ask,^(ac) ‘How are we to return?'

"Will a mere mortal rob^(ad) God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?' "In tithes^(ae) and offerings.

You are under a curse^(af)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.

Bring the whole tithe^(ag) into the storehouse,^(ah) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates^(ai) of heaven and pour out^(aj) so much blessing^(ak) that there will not be room enough to store it.^(al)

I will prevent pests from devouring^(am) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,^(an)" says the Lord Almighty.

"Then all the nations will call you blessed,^(ao) for yours will be a delightful land,"^(ap) says the Lord Almighty.^(aq)

"You have spoken arrogantly^(ar) against me," says the Lord . "Yet you ask,^(as) ‘What have we said against you?'

"You have said, ‘It is futile^(at) to serve^(au) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements^(av) and going about like mourners^(aw) before the Lord Almighty?

But now we call the arrogant^(ax) blessed. Certainly evildoers^(ay) prosper,^(az) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.'"

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.^(ba) A scroll^(bb) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared^(bc) the Lord and honored his name.

"On the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty, "they will be my^(bd) treasured possession.^(be) I will spare^(bf) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son^(bg) who serves him.

And you will again see the distinction between the righteous^(bh) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.^(bi)

Judgment and Covenant Renewal

^[a]"Surely the day is coming;^(a) it will burn like a furnace.^(b) All the arrogant^(c) and every evildoer will be stubble,^(d) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,^(e)" says the Lord Almighty. "Not a root or a branch^(f) will be left to them.

But for you who revere my name,^(g) the sun of righteousness^(h) will rise with healing⁽ⁱ⁾ in its rays. And you will go out and frolic^(j) like well-fed calves.

Then you will trample^(k) on the wicked; they will be ashes^(l) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty.

"Remember the law^(m) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb⁽ⁿ⁾ for all Israel.^(o)

"See, I will send the prophet Elijah^(p) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.^(q)

He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,^(r) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike^(s) the land with total destruction."^(t)