"And now this
commandment
is for you, O priests
.
"If you do anot listen
, and if
you do not take
it to heart
to give
honor
to My name
," says
the LORD
of hosts
, "then I will send
the bcurse
upon you and I will curse
your blessings
; and indeed
, I have ccursed
them already, because
you are not taking
it to heart
.
"Behold, I am going to arebuke
your 1offspring
, and I will bspread
2refuse
on your faces
, the 2refuse
of your cfeasts
; and you will be taken
away 3with it.
"Then you will know that I have sent
this
commandment
to you, 1that My acovenant
may 2continue
with Levi
," says
the LORD
of hosts
.
"My covenant with him was one of life
and apeace
, and I gave
them to him as an object of 1reverence
; so he 2 brevered
Me and stood
in awe
of My name
.
" 1 aTrue instruction
was in his mouth
and unrighteousness
was not found
on his lips
; he walked
bwith Me in peace
and uprightness
, and he cturned
many
back
from iniquity
.
"For the lips of a priest
should preserve
aknowledge
, and 1men should bseek
2instruction
from his mouth
; for he is the cmessenger
of the LORD
of hosts
.
"But as for you, you have turned aside
from the way
; you have caused many
to astumble
1by the instruction
; you have 2 bcorrupted
the covenant
of Levi
," says
the LORD
of hosts
.
"So aI also have made
you despised
and babased
1before all
the people
, just
as you are not keeping
My ways
but are showing
cpartiality
in the 2instruction
.
"Do we not all have aone
father
? bHas not one
God
created
us? Why
do we deal
ctreacherously
each
against his brother
so as to profane
the dcovenant
of our fathers
?
"Judah has dealt
atreacherously
, and an abomination
has been committed
in Israel
and in Jerusalem
; for Judah
has bprofaned
the sanctuary
of the LORD
1which
He loves
and has married
the daughter
of a foreign
god
.
"As for the man who
does
this, may the aLORD
cut
off
from the tents
of Jacob
everyone who awakes
and answers
, or who bpresents
1an offering
to the LORD
of hosts
.
"This is 1another
thing
you do
: you cover
the altar
of the LORD
with tears
, with weeping
and with groaning
, because
He ano
longer
regards
the 2offering
or accepts
it with favor
from your hand
.
"Yet you say, `For what
reason
?' Because
the LORD
has been a witness
between
you and the awife
of your youth
, against whom
you have dealt
btreacherously
, though she is your companion
and your wife
by covenant
.
" 1But not one has adone
so who has a remnant
of the Spirit
. And 2what
did that one
do while he was seeking
a bgodly
3offspring
? Take
heed
then to your spirit
, and let no
one deal
ctreacherously
against the wife
of your youth
.
"For 1I hate 2 adivorce
," says
the LORD
, the God
of Israel
, "and 3him who covers
his garment
with 4 bwrong
," says
the LORD
of hosts
. "So take
heed
to your spirit
, that you do not deal
treacherously
."
You have awearied the LORD
with your words
. Yet you say
, "How
have we wearied
Him?" In that you say
, " bEveryone
who does
evil
is good
in the sight
of the LORD
, and He cdelights
in them," or
, " dWhere
is the God
of ejustice
?"