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Malachi chapter 1

English Standard Version

1The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2"I have loved you," says the Lord. But you say, "How have you loved us?" "Is not Esau Jacob 's brother?" declares the Lord. "Yet I have loved Jacob 3but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert." 4If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the Lord of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’" 5Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, "Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!"
6"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord 's table may be despised. 8When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12But you profane it when you say that the Lord 's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. 13But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.
New International Version

1A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.
2"I have loved you," says the Lord. "But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ "Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?" declares the Lord. "Yet I have loved Jacob, 3but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
4Edom may say, "Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins." But this is what the Lord Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. 5You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’
6"A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty. "It is you priests who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’
7"By offering defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ "By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. 8When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty.
9"Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"—says the Lord Almighty.
10"Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.
12"But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’
13And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the Lord Almighty. "When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the Lord. 14"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the Lord Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations.
New American Standard Bible

1The pronouncement of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi:
2I have loved you,' says the Lord. But you say, 'How have You loved us?' 'Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?' declares the Lord. 'Yet I have loved Jacob; 3but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.' 4Though Edom says, 'We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins'; this is what the Lord of armies says: 'They may build, but I will tear down; and people will call them the territory of wickedness, and the people with whom the Lord is indignant forever.' 5And your eyes will see this, and you will say, 'The Lord be exalted beyond the border of Israel!'
6?‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of armies to you, the priests who despise My name! But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’ 8And when you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?' says the Lord of armies. 9But now, do indeed plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us. With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?' says the Lord of armies. 10If only there were one among you who would shut the gates, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar for nothing! I am not pleased with you,' says the Lord of armies, 'nor will I accept an offering from your hand. 11For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name shall be great among the nations, and in every place frankincense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name shall be great among the nations,' says the Lord of armies. 12But you are profaning it by your saying, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ 13You also say, ‘See, how tiresome it is!’ And you view it as trivial,' says the Lord of armies, 'and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I accept it from your hand?' says the Lord. 14But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,' says the Lord of armies, 'and My name is feared among the nations.'
Christian Standard Bible

1A pronouncement: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.
2"I have loved you," says the Lord. Yet you ask, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?" This is the Lord’s declaration. "Even so, I loved Jacob, 3but I hated Esau. I turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave his inheritance to the desert jackals."
4Though Edom says: "We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins," the Lord of Armies says this: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country and the people the Lord has cursed forever. 5Your own eyes will see this, and you yourselves will say, ‘The Lord is great, even beyond the borders of Israel.’
6"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of me? says the Lord of Armies to you priests, who despise my name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised your name?"
7"By presenting defiled food on my altar." "How have we defiled you?" you ask. When you say: "The Lord’s table is contemptible."
8"When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord of Armies. 9"And now plead for God’s favor. Will he be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will he show any of you favor?" asks the Lord of Armies. 10"I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle a useless fire on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of Armies, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.
11"My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in my name in every place because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of Armies.
12"But you are profaning it when you say: ‘The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.’ 13You also say: ‘Look, what a nuisance!’ And you scorn it," says the Lord of Armies. "You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?" asks the Lord.
14"The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King," says the Lord of Armies, "and my name will be feared among the nations.
New Living Translation

1This is the message that the Lord gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi.
2I have always loved you,' says the Lord. But you retort, 'Really? How have you loved us?' And the Lord replies, 'This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, 3but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.'
4Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, 'We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.' But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies replies, 'They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’ 5When you see the destruction for yourselves, you will say, ‘Truly, the Lord’s greatness reaches far beyond Israel’s borders!’'
6The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: 'A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! 'But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’
7You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. 'Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices? ’ 'You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. 8When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!' says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
9Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?' asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
10How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,' says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, 'and I will not accept your offerings. 11But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,' says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
12But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. 13You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,' says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 'Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?' asks the Lord.
14Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,' says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, 'and my name is feared among the nations!
King James Version

1The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, 3And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4Whereas 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. 5And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel. 6A 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? 7Ye 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. 8And 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. 9And 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.
10Who 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. 11For 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. 12But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. 13Ye 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. 14But 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 King James Version

1The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; 3But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.”
4Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places,” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever. 5Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’ 6“A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ 7“You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ 8And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts. 9“But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts. 10“Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” Says the Lord of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. 11For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts. 12“But you profane it, In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ 13You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the Lord. 14“But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished— For I am a great King,” Says the Lord of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations.

What does Malachi chapter 1 mean?

Malachi is an excellent example of how sophisticated Old Testament poetry can be. Modern chapter and verse divisions don't accurately capture the structure used in this book. Malachi brings three primary messages, addressed to different groups of people. Each message is further divided into two halves, for six total "oracles" within the book. Each message half / oracle is a mirror-image of the concepts mentioned in the first half. As a result, the subject matter of Malachi flows back and forth between ideas, reversing through themes after reaching a main point.

The first of the three main messages in Malachi includes all of chapter 1 and the first nine verses of chapter 2. These messages are presented in the form of a dialogue, where God's messenger accuses Israel of various sins. In response to almost all of these, Israel responds with indifference and ignorance: "how have we done that?"

"Malachi" literally means, "My Messenger," so this may or may not be the name of a particular person (Malachi 1:1). Since the priests were supposed to be the messengers of God, attributing these words to God's messenger is a wake-up call to the priesthood. Further supporting this point is that the first portion of Malachi (Malachi 1:1—2:9:) is directed at the priests.

The first accusation given to Israel is simply that God has "loved" them (Malachi 1:2). In other words, God has cared for and protected them. For perspective, Malachi refers to the fate of the nation of Edom. Jacob, the father of the nation of Israel, and Esau, the father of the nation of Edom, were brothers. As prophesied in Obadiah, Edom was destroyed for their many sins (Malachi 1:3–4). Even though Israel has been persecuted and scattered, God has kept them alive and intact. The same was not true of Israel's national "brother." This is given as proof that God has shown more favor to Israel than other people.

The priests are specifically accused of "despising [God's] name." They do this by offering unacceptable sacrifices (Malachi 1:6–7). The priests had been given detailed instructions by Moses on proper sacrifices (Leviticus 22:17–33). Instead, they were offering sick, crippled, or otherwise impure animals. The quality of their offerings was so poor that even a human government official would not have taken them (Malachi 1:8). Likewise, their attitude is bitter and lazy (Malachi 1:13). These are both an insult to God.

God's response to this is a rejection of Israel's worship. In fact, God says He would rather the priests offer no sacrifices at all, rather than improper ones (Malachi 1:10). The sin of bringing God apathetic, selfish, or profane worship is worse than offering no worship at all.

This chapter also includes a combined prophecy and threat to Israel, regarding the Gentiles. Israel knew they were the "chosen nation" of God. The Gentiles, all the non-Jewish people, were not. When God says that He will be worshipped, in purity, by the unclean Gentiles, this is a slap in the face to Israel.

Verses 13 and 14 demonstrate the general apathy of Israel. The priests, in particular, know the right things to do. They are aware of the proper sacrifices, and the right way to teach the people. But they see these as too much trouble (Malachi 1:13). Men routinely make promises to God that they don't keep for selfish reasons (Malachi 1:14).

Even in this condemnation, God's mercy is evident. The penalty for profaning God's holiness, in the Old Testament, is death (Numbers 18:32). Despite their disregard for Him, God is still trying to reach His people, for their own benefit.
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