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Malachi 1
Evangelical Heritage Version
Malachi 1
Evangelical Heritage Version
1 An oracle.[a] The word of the Lord to Israel through[b] Malachi.
An Oracle From the Lord:
God’s Love for Israel
2 I have loved you, says the Lord.
But you say, “How have you loved us?”
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? declares the Lord. I loved Jacob, 3 but I hated Esau. I turned Esau’s mountains into a desolate place, and I turned the territory he possessed over to the wild jackals.
4 Edom will certainly say, “We have been beaten down, but we will return, and we will rebuild the ruins.”
This is what the Lord of Armies says. They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. Edom will be called a wicked territory, and the Edomites will be called the people whom the Lord has denounced forever. 5 Your eyes will see this, and you will say, “The Lord is great—even beyond the border of Israel!”
An Oracle From the Lord:
Improper Sacrifices Insult God
6 A son honors his father. A servant honors his master. If I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is the reverence owed to me? This is what the Lord of Armies says to you. The priests are the ones who despise my name.
You say, “How have we despised your name?”
7 You despise my name by bringing defiled food to my altar.
But you say, “How have we defiled you?”
You defile me when you say, “The Lord’s table deserves no respect.” 8 When you bring a blind animal as a sacrifice, isn’t that evil? When you bring something lame and sick, isn’t that evil? Try bringing that to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he receive you with favor? This is what the Lord of Armies says.
Interjection by Israel
9 Now ask for God’s favor so that he may be gracious to us.
An Oracle From the Lord:
Improper Sacrifices Insult God
With offerings like this from your hand, will he receive you with favor? This is what the Lord of Armies says. 10 I wish there was someone among you who would shut the temple doors so you would not keep lighting useless fires on my altar! I find nothing pleasing about you, says the Lord of Armies. I am not pleased with an offering from your hand.
11 Yes, from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, my name will be great among the nations! In every place incense and a pure offering will be presented to my name, because my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of Armies.
12 But you are profaning my name when you say, “The Lord’s table is polluted, and we despise the things offered on it, the food that is on it.” 13 You also say, “What drudgery!” and you snort at it with contempt, says the Lord of Armies. You bring something torn,[c] something lame, something sick, and present it as an offering. Should I be pleased with something like that from your hand? says the Lord.
14 Cursed is the cheater who vows to offer a male animal from his flock, but then he sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord instead. Indeed, I am a great king, says the Lord of Armies, and my name will be feared among the nations.
Footnotes
- Malachi 1:1 The Hebrew term massa often has the connotation of a threatening prophecy. Sometimes it simply is a prophecy.
- Malachi 1:1 Literally by the hand of
- Malachi 1:13 Or stolen
Malachi 1
New International Version
Malachi 1
New International Version
1 A prophecy:(A) The word(B) of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.[a]
Israel Doubts God’s Love
2 “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) 3 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)”
4 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) 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great(M) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’(N)
Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices
6 “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?’
7 “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. 8 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)
9 “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.
10 “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. 11 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.
12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table(AK) is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food(AL) is contemptible.’ 13 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. 14 “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)
Footnotes
- Malachi 1:1 Malachi means my messenger.
Malachi 1
King James Version
Malachi 1
King James Version
1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2 I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.
5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel.
6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.
9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts.
10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.
13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.
14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.