The LORD's Love for Jacob

11 The burden of a word of Jehovah unto Israel by the hand of Malachi: 2 I have loved you, said Jehovah, And ye have said, 'In what hast Thou loved us?' 3 Is not Esau Jacob's brother?—an affirmation of Jehovah, And I love Jacob, and Esau I have hated, And I make his mountains a desolation, And his inheritance for dragons of a wilderness. 4 Because Edom saith, 'We have been made poor, And we turn back and we build the wastes,' Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They do build, and I do destroy, And 'men' have called to them, 'O region of wickedness,' 'O people whom Jehovah defied to the age.' 5 And your eyes do see, and ye say, 'Magnified is Jehovah beyond the border of Israel,

The LORD Rebukes the Priests

6 A son honoureth a father, and a servant his master. And if I 'am' a father, where 'is' Mine honour? And if I 'am' a master, where 'is' My fear? Said Jehovah of Hosts to you, O priests, despising My name! And ye have said: 'In what have we despised Thy name?' 7 Ye are bringing nigh on Mine altar polluted bread, And ye have said: 'In what have we polluted Thee?' In your saying: 'The table of Jehovah—it 'is' despicable,' 8 And when ye bring nigh the blind for sacrifice, 'There is no evil,' And when ye bring nigh the lame and sick, 'There is no evil;' Bring it near, I pray thee, to thy governor—Doth he accept thee? or doth he lift up thy face? Said Jehovah of Hosts. 9 And now, appease, I pray thee, the face of God, And He doth favour us; From your own hand hath this been, Doth He accept of you appearances? Said Jehovah of Hosts. 10 Who 'is' even among you, And he shutteth the two-leaved doors? Yea, ye do not kindle Mine altar for nought, I have no pleasure in you, said Jehovah of Hosts, And a present I do not accept of your hand. 11 For, from the rising of the sun to its going in, Great 'is' My name among nations, And in every place perfume is brought nigh to My name, and a pure present, For great 'is' My name among nations, Said Jehovah of Hosts. 12 And ye are polluting it in your saying, 'The table of Jehovah—it is polluted, As to its fruit—despicable is its food.' 13 And ye have said, 'Lo, what a weariness,' And ye have puffed at it, said Jehovah of Hosts, And ye have brought in plunder, And the lame and the sick, And ye have brought in the present! Do I accept it from your hand? said Jehovah. 14 And cursed 'is' a deceiver, who hath in his drove a male, And is vowing, and is sacrificing a marred thing to the Lord, For a great king 'am' I, said Jehovah of Hosts, And My name 'is' revered among nations!

31 Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts. 2 And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he 'is' as fire of a refiner, And as soap of a fuller. 3 And he hath sat, a refiner and purifier of silver, And he hath purified the sons of Levi, And hath refined them as gold and as silver, And they have been to Jehovah bringing nigh a present in righteousness. 4 And sweet to Jehovah hath been the present of Judah and Jerusalem, As in days of old, and as in former years. 5 And I have drawn near to you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers, And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.

The Payment of Tithes

6 For I 'am' Jehovah, I have not changed, And ye, the sons of Jacob, Ye have not been consumed.

7 Even from the days of your fathers Ye have turned aside from My statutes, And ye have not taken heed. Turn back unto Me, and I turn back to you, Said Jehovah of Hosts. And ye have said, 'In what do we turn back?' 8 Doth man deceive God? but ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: 'In what have we deceived Thee?' The tithe and the heave-offering! 9 With a curse ye are cursed! And Me ye are deceiving—this nation—all of it. 10 Bring in all the tithe unto the treasure-house, And there is food in My house; When ye have tried Me, now, with this, Said Jehovah of Hosts, Do not I open to you the windows of heaven? Yea, I have emptied on you a blessing till there is no space. 11 And I have pushed for you against the consumer, And He doth not destroy to you the fruit of the ground, Nor miscarry to you doth the vine in the field, Said Jehovah of Hosts. 12 And declared you happy have all the nations, For ye are a delightful land, said Jehovah of Hosts.

The Distinction between the Righteous and the Wicked

13 Hard against Me have been your words, Said Jehovah, and ye have said: 'What have we spoken against Thee?' 14 Ye have said, 'A vain thing to serve God! And what gain when we kept His charge? And when we have gone in black, Because of Jehovah of Hosts? 15 And now, we are declaring the proud happy, Yea, built up have been those doing wickedness, Yea they have tempted God, and escape.' 16 Then have those fearing Jehovah spoken one to another, And Jehovah doth attend and hear, And written is a book of memorial before Him Of those fearing Jehovah, And of those esteeming His name. 17 And they have been to Me, said Jehovah of Hosts, In the day that I am appointing—a peculiar treasure, And I have had pity on them, As one hath pity on his son who is serving him. 18 And ye have turned back and considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God and him who is not His servant.