
{1}1{/}

{I}1_{/}An oracle. These 
are the words that Yahweh 
directed to Israel 
through Malachi. 
{I}2_{/}When Yahweh says, 
"I love you," you reply, 
"How do you show that 
love?" So Yahweh asks 
you, {I}3_{/}"Was Esau 
not Jacob's brother? Yet 
I loved Jacob and hated 
Esau. See how I left his 
mountains desolate and 
abandoned his land to the 
jackals of the desert. 
{I}4_{/}If Edom decides 
to rebuild its ruins, 
after having been 
destroyed, Yahweh of 
hosts says: They may 
rebuild, but I will 
demolish. You will call 
them: 'Accursed country' 
and 'Nation with which 
Yahweh is forever 
displeased.' {I}5_{/}You 
will see this with your 
own eyes, then you will 
exclaim: The power of 
Yahweh goes beyond the 
borders of Israel."
WHERE IS YOUR RESPECT FOR 
ME?{/}

{I}6_{/}The son honors 
his father, the servant 
respects his master. Now 
if I am a father, where 
is the honor due to me? 
If I am your master, 
where is your respect for 
me? This is what Yahweh 
of hosts wants you to 
know, priests who despise 
his name. But you will 
only ask: How have we 
despised your name?
{I}7_{/}You present 
defiled foods on my 
altar, yet you say: How 
did we defile you? You 
think that my table does 
not deserve respect. 
{I}8_{/}When you bring a 
blind animal as a 
sacrifice, or when you 
present one that is lame 
or sick, are you not 
doing wrong? Go, present 
these to the governor; 
will he be pleased and 
receive you well?" says 
Yahweh of hosts.
{I}9_{/}So now, ask God 
that he may have mercy on 
us. But if it goes badly 
for us because of your 
sin, are you those who 
should entreat him? 
{I}10_{/}Who among you 
would close my doors that 
you may no longer come to 
kindle fire upon my altar 
in vain? I am not pleased 
with you, says Yahweh of 
hosts, nor am I pleased 
with your offerings.
{I}11_{/}See, from the 
rising of the sun to its 
setting, all the nations 
revere my Name and 
everywhere incense is 
offered to my Name as 
well as a pure offering. 
I am rightly esteemed 
among the nations, says 
Yahweh of hosts. 
{I}12_{/}But you despise 
my Name when you say: 
"The Lord's table is 
dirty and his food is 
good for nothing." 
{I}13_{/}When you 
complain that you do not 
like this food you 
despise me, says Yahweh. 
You bring a stolen 
animal, lame or diseased, 
to offer to me in 
sacrifice. Do you think 
that I will accept it? 
{I}14_{/}Cursed be the 
cheater who, after 
promising me a bull from 
his herd, sacrifices a 
stunted animal. For I am 
a great King and my Name 
is respected through all 
the nations, says Yahweh 
of hosts.

WARNINGS FOR THE 
PRIESTS{/}

{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}This warning is 
also for you, priests. If 
you do not listen to it 
{I}2_{/}or concern 
yourself to glorify my 
Name, says Yahweh of 
hosts, I will send the 
curse on you and curse 
even your blessings.
{I}3_{/}I will curse you 
for none of you takes his 
ministry seriously. Right 
now, I am going to break 
your arm, throw dung in 
your face, the very dung 
of your animals, and 
sweep you away with them. 
{I}4_{/}And you will 
realize that it was I who 
threatened to put an end 
to my covenant with Levi, 
your ancestor, says 
Yahweh.
{I}5_{/}My covenant with 
him spoke of life and 
peace, and I gave him 
these; it also spoke of 
respect and he respected 
me and reverenced my 
Name. {I}6_{/}His mouth 
taught the true doctrine 
and nothing evil came 
from his lips; he walked 
in accord with me, being 
peaceful and upright, and 
brought back many people 
from their wickedness. 
{I}7_{/}The lips of the 
priest speak of 
knowledge, and the Law 
must be found in his 
mouth, since he is the 
messenger of Yahweh of 
hosts.
{I}8_{/}But you, says 
Yahweh of hosts, have 
strayed from my way, and 
moreover caused many to 
stumble because of your 
teaching. You have broken 
my covenant with Levi. 
{I}9_{/}Therefore I let 
all the people despise 
you and consider you 
unworthy, because you do 
not follow my ways and 
you show partiality in 
your judgments.
{I}10_{/}Do we not all 
have the same father? Has 
the same God not created 
all of us? Why, then, 
does each of us betray 
his brother, defiling the 
Covenant of our 
ancestors?
{I}11_{/}Judah has been 
unfaithful, a grave sin 
has been committed in 
Israel and Jerusalem: the 
people of Judah have 
defiled the sacred 
inheritance of Yahweh by 
loving and marrying the 
daughters of a foreign 
god. {I}12_{/}Let whoever 
does this be cut off from 
the homeland of Jacob and 
let there be no one to 
defend him in the 
tribunal or present an 
offering for him to 
Yahweh.
RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE{/}

{I}13_{/}You also commit 
another offense. As 
Yahweh refuses to look at 
your offerings and does 
not take them into 
account, you come weeping 
and wailing and cover the 
altar with tears. 
{I}14_{/}And then you 
ask: "Why?"
It is because Yahweh has 
seen how you dealt with 
your first wife, the wife 
of your youth. You 
betrayed her although she 
was your companion with 
whom you made a covenant. 
{I}15_{/}Has God not made 
a single being and given 
him breath? And what does 
he seek but a family 
given by God? Do not 
betray, then, the wife of 
your youth.
{I}16_{/}I hate divorce, 
says Yahweh, the God of 
Israel, and those who are 
actually covering their 
violence. Be very 
careful, and do not 
betray.
{I}17_{/}You annoy Yahweh 
with your discourses and 
you dare say: "How did we 
annoy him?" You annoy him 
whenever you say that 
Yahweh looks favorably on 
those who do evil, and 
lets everything go well 
with them, or when you 
ask: "Where is the God 
who does justice?"
I SEND MY MESSENGER TO 
PREPARE THE WAY{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}Now I am sending 
my messenger ahead of me 
to clear the way; then 
suddenly the Lord for 
whom you long will enter 
the sanctuary. The envoy 
of the covenant which you 
so greatly desire already 
comes, says Yahweh of 
hosts.   {I}2_{/}Who can 
bear the day of his 
coming and remain 
standing when he appears? 
For he will be like fire 
in the foundry and like 
the lye used for 
bleaching.
{I}3_{/}He will be as a 
refiner or a fuller. He 
will purify the sons of 
Levi and refine them like 
gold and silver. So 
Yahweh will have priests 
who will present the 
offering as it should be. 
{I}4_{/}Then Yahweh will 
accept with pleasure the 
offering of Judah and 
Jerusalem, as in former 
days.
{I}5_{/}When I came to 
you to do justice I shall 
demand the immediate 
punishment of the 
sorcerers and the 
adulterers, of those who 
swear false oaths, who 
oppress the wage-earner, 
the widow and the orphan, 
who do not respect the 
rights of the foreigner. 
They do all this and have 
no fear of me, says 
Yahweh.
{I}6_{/}I, Yahweh, have 
not changed in anything; 
just as you, children of 
Jacob, are always the 
same. {I}7_{/}Since the 
day of your ancestors you 
stray from my ordinances 
and do not practice them. 
Return to me and I will 
return to you, says 
Yahweh of hosts. But you 
ask: "Why do we have to 
return?" {I}8_{/}Can a 
man deceive God? Yet you 
cheat me and moreover 
ask: "How did we cheat 
you?" I point out your 
sacred tributes and the 
tenth which is due to me. 
{I}9_{/}Cursed be you who 
cheat me! Cursed be all 
the nation! {I}10_{/}Turn 
over into the temple 
treasury the tenth part 
of all, that there may be 
food in my House. Then 
you may test me says 
Yahweh of hosts, to see 
if I will not open the 
gates of heaven and bring 
blessed rain to you up to 
the last drop. {I}11_{/}I 
will rebuke the locusts 
that they may not devour 
your fields, and let not 
the vines wither in your 
land, says Yahweh. 
{I}12_{/}Then all the 
nations will congratulate 
you because your land 
will be the choicest.
{I}13_{/}You say very 
harsh things about me, 
says Yahweh, and yet you 
say: "What harsh things 
did we say against you?" 
{I}14_{/}You say: "It is 
useless to serve God. 
There is no benefit in 
observing his 
commandments or in 
leading an austere life 
for his sake. Happy are 
the shameless! 
{I}15_{/}Those who do 
evil succeed in 
everything; though they 
provoke God, they remain 
unharmed."
{I}16_{/}Those were the 
very words of those who 
fear Yahweh. Yahweh 
listened and heard what 
they said. He ordered at 
once that the names of 
those who respect him and 
reverence his Name be 
written in a record.
{I}17_{/}And he declared, 
"They will be mine on 
the{I}_{/}day I have 
already set. Then I shall 
care for them as a father 
cares for his obedient 
son. {I}18_{/}And you 
will see the different 
fates of the good and the 
bad, those who obey God 
and those who disobey 
him.
{I}19_{/}The day already 
comes, flaming as a 
furnace. On that day all 
the proud and evildoers 
will be burned like straw 
in the fire. They will be 
left without branches or 
roots. {I}20_{/}On the 
other hand the sun of 
justice will shine upon 
you who respect my Name 
and bring health in its 
rays. You will come out 
leaping like fattened 
calves. {I}21_{/}You will 
trample on the evildoers 
and they will be like 
ashes scattered on your 
way when I do this, says 
Yahweh.
I WILL SEND ELIJAH 
SOON{/}

{I}22_{/}Remember the law 
of my servant Moses, the 
laws and ordinances I 
gave him at Mount Horeb 
for the whole of Israel. 
{I}23_{/}I am going to 
send you the prophet 
Elijah before the day of 
Yahweh comes, for it will 
be a great and terrible 
day. {I}24_{/}He will 
reconcile parents with 
their children, and the 
children with their 
parents, so that I may 
not have to curse this 
land when I come."

