The 1 aoracle of the word
of the LORD
to bIsrael
through
2Malachi
.
"I have aloved you," says
the LORD
. But you say
, "How
have You loved
us?" "Was not Esau
Jacob's
brother
?" declares
the LORD
. "Yet I bhave loved
Jacob
;
but I have hated Esau
, and I have amade
his mountains
a desolation
and appointed his inheritance
for the jackals
of the wilderness
."
Though Edom
says
, "We have been abeaten
down
, but we will 1 breturn
and build
up the ruins
"; thus
says
the LORD
of hosts
, "They may cbuild
, but I will tear
down
; and men will call
them the 2wicked
territory
, and the people
3toward whom
the LORD
is indignant
dforever
."
Your eyes will see
this and you will say
, " aThe LORD
1be magnified
beyond
the 2border
of Israel
!"
" `A son ahonors
his father
, and a servant
his master
. Then if
I am a bfather
, where
is My honor
? And if
I am a master
, where
is My 1respect
?' says
the LORD
of hosts
to you, O cpriests
who despise
My name
. But you say
, `How
have we despised
Your name
?'
"You are presenting adefiled
1 bfood
upon My altar
. But you say
, `How
have we defiled
You?' In that you say
, `The ctable
of the LORD
is to be despised
.'
"But when you present
the ablind
for sacrifice
, is it not evil
? And when
you present
the lame
and sick
, is it not evil
? 1Why not offer
it to your bgovernor
? Would he be pleased
with you? Or
would he receive
you kindly
?" says
the LORD
of hosts
.
"But now 1will you not aentreat
God's
favor
, that He may be gracious
to us? 2With such
an offering on your part
, will He breceive
any
of you kindly
?" says
the LORD
of hosts
.
"Oh that there were one among you who would ashut
the 1gates
, that you might not uselessly
kindle
fire on My altar
! I am not pleased
with you," says
the LORD
of hosts
, " bnor
will I accept
an offering
from 2you.
"For from the arising of the sun
even
to its setting
, bMy name
will be cgreat
among the nations
, and in every
place
dincense
is going to be offered
to My name
, and a grain offering
that is pure
; for My name
will be egreat
among the nations
," says
the LORD
of hosts
.
"But you are aprofaning it, in that you say
, `The table
of the Lord
is defiled
, and as for its fruit
, its food
is to be despised
.'
"You also say, ` 1My, how
atiresome
it is!' And you disdainfully
sniff
at it," says
the LORD
of hosts
, "and you bring
what was taken
by brobbery
and what is clame
or sick
; so you bring
the offering
! Should I dreceive
that from your hand
?" says
the LORD
.
"But cursed be the aswindler
who has
a male
in his flock
and vows
it, but sacrifices
a bblemished
animal
to the Lord
, for I am a great
cKing
," says
the LORD
of hosts
, "and My name
is 1 dfeared
among the 2nations
."