October 14

Malachi 1:1 — 4:6

Malachi

1 A pronouncement:
      The word of Jehovah concerning Israel by means of Malachi:

      2 “I have loved YOU people,” Jehovah has said.

         And YOU have said: “In what way have you loved us?”

         “Was not Esau the brother of Jacob?” is the utterance of Jehovah. “But I loved Jacob, 3 and Esau I have hated; and I finally made his mountains a desolated waste and his inheritance for the jackals of [the] wilderness.”

 4 “Because Edom keeps saying, ‘We have been shattered, but we shall return and build [the] devastated places,’ this is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘They, for their part, will build; but I, for my part, shall tear down. And people will certainly call them “the territory of wickedness” and “the people whom Jehovah has denounced to time indefinite.” 5 And YOUR own eyes will see [it], and YOU yourselves will say: “May Jehovah be magnified over the territory of Israel.”’”

 6 “‘A son, for his part, honors a father; and a servant, his grand master. So if I am a father, where is the honor to me? And if I am a grand master, where is the fear of me?’ Jehovah of armies has said to YOU, O priests who are despising my name.
          “‘And YOU have said: “In what way have we despised your name?”’
       7 “‘[By] presenting upon my altar polluted bread.’
          “‘And YOU have said: “In what way have we polluted you?”’
          “‘By YOUR saying: “The table of Jehovah is something to be despised.” 8 And when YOU present a blind [animal] for sacrificing: “It is nothing bad.” And when YOU present a lame [animal] or a sick one: “It is nothing bad.”’”
          “Bring it near, please, to your governor. Will he find pleasure in you, or will he receive you kindly?” Jehovah of armies has said.
      
       9 “And now, please, soften the face of God, that he may show us favor. From YOUR hand this has occurred. Will he receive any of YOU men kindly?” Jehovah of armies has said.
      10 “Who also is there among YOU that will shut the doors? And YOU men will not light my altar—for nothing. No delight do I have in YOU,” Jehovah of armies has said, “and in the gift offering from YOUR hand I take no pleasure.”

11 “For from the sun’s rising even to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place sacrificial smoke will be made, a presentation will be made to my name, even a clean gift; because my name will be great among the nations,” Jehovah of armies has said.

12 “But YOU men are profaning me by YOUR saying, ‘The table of Jehovah is something polluted, and its fruit is something to be despised, its food.’ 13 And YOU have said, ‘Look! What a weariness!’ and YOU have caused a sniffing at it,” Jehovah of armies has said. “And YOU have brought something torn away, and the lame one, and the sick one; yes, YOU have brought [it] as a gift. Can I take pleasure in it at YOUR hand?” Jehovah has said.

14 “And cursed is the one acting cunningly when there exists in his drove a male animal, and he is making a vow and sacrificing a ruined one to Jehovah. For I am a great King,” Jehovah of armies has said, “and my name will be fear-inspiring among the nations.”

2 “And now this commandment is to YOU, O priests. 2 If YOU will not listen, and if YOU will not lay [it] to heart to give glory to my name,” Jehovah of armies has said, “I shall also certainly send upon YOU the curse, and I will curse YOUR blessings. Yes, I have even cursed the [blessing], because YOU are not laying [it] to heart.”

3 “Look! I am rebuking on YOUR account the [sown] seed, and I will scatter dung upon YOUR faces, the dung of YOUR festivals; and someone will actually carry YOU away to it. 4 And YOU will have to know that I have sent to YOU this commandment, in order that my covenant with Levi may continue,” Jehovah of armies has said.

5 “As for my covenant, it proved to be with him, [one] of life and of peace, and I kept giving them to him, with fear. And he continued fearing me; yes, because of my name he himself was struck with terror. 6 The very law of truth proved to be in his mouth, and there was no unrighteousness to be found on his lips. In peace and in uprightness he walked with me, and many were those whom he turned back from error. 7 For the lips of a priest are the ones that should keep knowledge, and [the] law is what people should seek from his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of armies.

8 “But YOU men—YOU have turned aside from the way. YOU have caused many to stumble in the law. YOU have ruined the covenant of Levi,” Jehovah of armies has said. 9 “And I also, for my part, shall certainly make YOU to be despised and low to all the people, according as YOU were not keeping my ways, but were showing partiality in the law.”

10 “Is it not one father that all of us have? Is it not one God that has created us? Why is it that we deal treacherously with one another, in profaning the covenant of our forefathers? 11 Judah has dealt treacherously, and a detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Jehovah, which He has loved, and he has taken possession of the daughter of a foreign god as a bride. 12 Jehovah will cut off each one that does it, one who is awake and one who is answering, from the tents of Jacob, and one who is presenting a gift offering to Jehovah of armies.”

13 “And this is the second thing that YOU people do, [this resulting in] covering with tears the altar of Jehovah, with weeping and sighing, so that there is no more a turning toward the gift offering or a taking of pleasure [in anything] from YOUR hand. 14 And YOU have said, ‘On what account?’ On this account, that Jehovah himself has borne witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you yourself have dealt treacherously, although she is your partner and the wife of your covenant. 15 And there was one who did not do [it], as he had what was remaining of [the] spirit. And what was that one seeking? The seed of God. And YOU people must guard yourselves respecting YOUR spirit, and with the wife of your youth may no one deal treacherously. 16 For he has hated a divorcing,” Jehovah the God of Israel has said; “and the one who with violence has covered over his garment,” Jehovah of armies has said. “And YOU must guard yourselves respecting YOUR spirit, and YOU must not deal treacherously.

17 “YOU people have made Jehovah weary by YOUR words, and YOU have said, ‘In what way have we made [him] weary?’ By YOUR saying, ‘Everyone that is doing bad is good in the eyes of Jehovah, and in such ones he himself has taken delight’; or, ‘Where is the God of justice?’”

3 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he must clear up a way before me. And suddenly there will come to His temple the [true] Lord, whom YOU people are seeking, and the messenger of the covenant in whom YOU are delighting. Look! He will certainly come,” Jehovah of armies has said.

2 “But who will be putting up with the day of his coming, and who will be the one standing when he appears? For he will be like the fire of a refiner and like the lye of laundrymen. 3 And he must sit as a refiner and cleanser of silver and must cleanse the sons of Levi; and he must clarify them like gold and like silver, and they will certainly become to Jehovah people presenting a gift offering in righteousness. 4 And the gift offering of Judah and of Jerusalem will actually be gratifying to Jehovah, as in the days of long ago and as in the years of antiquity.

5 “And I will come near to YOU people for the judgment, and I will become a speedy witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those swearing falsely, and against those acting fraudulently with the wages of a wage worker, with [the] widow and with [the] fatherless boy, and those turning away the alien resident, while they have not feared me,” Jehovah of armies has said.

6 “For I am Jehovah; I have not changed. And YOU are sons of Jacob; YOU have not come to YOUR finish. 7 From the days of YOUR forefathers YOU have turned aside from my regulations and have not kept [them]. Return to me, and I will return to YOU,” Jehovah of armies has said.
         And YOU have said: “In what way shall we return?
      8 “Will earthling man rob God? But YOU are robbing me.”
         And YOU have said: “In what way have we robbed you?”
        “In the tenth parts and in the contributions. 9 With the curse YOU are cursing [me], and me YOU are robbing—the nation in its entirety. 10 Bring all the tenth parts into the storehouse, that there may come to be food in my house; and test me out, please, in this respect,” Jehovah of armies has said, “whether I shall not open to YOU people the floodgates of the heavens and actually empty out upon YOU a blessing until there is no more want.”

11 “And I will rebuke for YOU the devouring one, and it will not ruin for YOU the fruit of the ground, nor will the vine in the field prove fruitless for YOU,” Jehovah of armies has said.
      12 “And all the nations will have to pronounce YOU happy, for YOU yourselves will become a land of delight,” Jehovah of armies has said.

13 “Strong have been YOUR words against me,” Jehovah has said.
           And YOU have said: “What have we spoken with one another against you?”
      14 “YOU have said, ‘It is of no value to serve God. And what profit is there in that we have kept the obligation to him, and that we have walked dejectedly on account of Jehovah of armies? 15 And at present we are pronouncing presumptuous people happy. Also, the doers of wickedness have been built up. Also, they have tested God out and keep getting away.’”

16 At that time those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name.
       17 “And they will certainly become mine,” Jehovah of armies has said, “at the day when I am producing a special property. And I will show compassion upon them, just as a man shows compassion upon his son who is serving him. 18 And YOU people will again certainly see [the distinction] between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him.”

4 “For, look! the day is coming that is burning like the furnace, and all the presumptuous ones and all those doing wickedness must become as stubble. And the day that is coming will certainly devour them,” Jehovah of armies has said, “so that it will not leave to them either root or bough. 2 And to YOU who are in fear of my name the sun of righteousness will certainly shine forth, with healing in its wings; and YOU will actually go forth and paw the ground like fattened calves.”

3 “And YOU people will certainly tread down [the] wicked ones, for they will become as powder under the soles of YOUR feet in the day on which I am acting,” Jehovah of armies has said.

4 “Remember, YOU people, the law of Moses my servant with which I commanded him in Horeb concerning all Israel, even regulations and judicial decisions.

5 “Look! I am sending to YOU people Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah. 6 And he must turn the heart of fathers back toward sons, and the heart of sons back toward fathers; in order that I may not come and actually strike the earth with a devoting [of it] to destruction.”

(End of the translation of the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures, to be followed by that of the Christian Greek Scriptures)