Malachi 1 | King James Version

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' 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.

New International Reader’s Version

1 This is a prophecy. It is the LORD’s message to Israel through Malachi.

Israel doubts God’s love

2 ‘Israel, I have loved you,’ says the LORD. ‘But you ask, “How have you loved us?” ‘Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?’ says the LORD. ‘But I chose Jacob 3 instead of Esau. I have turned Esau’s hill country into a dry and empty land. I left that land of Edom to the wild dogs in the desert.’ 4 Edom might say, ‘We have been crushed. But we’ll rebuild our cities.’ The LORD who rules over all says, ‘They might rebuild their cities. But I will destroy them. They will be called the Evil Land. My anger will always remain on them. 5 You will see it with your own eyes. You will say, “The LORD is great! He rules even beyond the borders of Israel!”

Give your best to the Lord

6 ‘A son honours his father. A slave honours his master. If I am a father, where is the honour I should have? If I am a master, where is the respect you should give me?’ says the LORD who rules over all. ‘You priests look down on me. ‘But you ask, “How have we looked down on you?” 7 ‘You sacrifice “unclean” food on my altar. ‘But you ask, “How have we made you ‘unclean’?” ‘You do it by looking down on my altar. 8 You sacrifice blind animals to me. Isn’t that wrong? You sacrifice disabled or ill animals. Isn’t that wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?’ says the LORD who rules over all. 9 ‘Now plead with God to be gracious to us! But as long as you give offerings like those, how can he accept you?’ says the LORD. 10 ‘You might as well shut the temple doors! Then you would not light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will not accept any of the offerings you bring. 11 My name will be great among the nations. They will worship me from where the sun rises in the east to where it sets in the west. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be brought to me. That’s because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the LORD. 12 ‘But you treat my name as if it were not holy. You say the LORD’s altar is “unclean”. And you look down on its food. 13 You say, “What a heavy load our work is!” And you turn up your nose. You act as if you hate working for me,’ says the LORD who rules over all. ‘You bring animals that have been hurt. Or you bring disabled or ill animals. Then you dare to offer them to me as sacrifices! Should I accept them from you?’ says the LORD. 14 ‘Suppose you have a male sheep or goat that does not have any flaws. And you promise to offer it to me. But then you sacrifice an animal that has flaws. When you do that, you cheat me. And anyone who cheats me is under my curse. After all, I am a great king,’ says the LORD who rules over all. ‘The other nations have respect for my name. So why don’t you respect it?