Malachi 1

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

The LORD declares His love for Israel through the prophet Malachi, contrasting Jacob with Esau, whose mountainous inheritance He turned into a wasteland while vowing to demolish any attempts by Edom to rebuild. The LORD then rebukes the priests of Israel for despising His name by offering defiled food, blind, lame, and sick animals, and stolen sacrifices on His altar. He expresses a desire for the temple doors to be shut rather than receiving these unacceptable offerings, stating He takes no pleasure in the priests. Instead, the LORD proclaims that His name will be great among the nations from the rising to the setting of the sun, where pure offerings will be presented. Finally, He condemns those who profane His table by viewing it as a nuisance and pronounces a curse on deceivers who vow an acceptable animal from their flock but sacrifice a defective one to the great King.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹This is the burden of 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 Jacob I have loved, ³but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals. ” ⁴Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever. ⁵You will see this with your own eyes, 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 Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ ⁷By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You ?’ By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible. ⁸When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts. ⁹“But ask now for God’s favor. Will He be gracious? Since this has come from your hands, will He show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts. ¹⁰“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. ¹¹For My 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 presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts. ¹²“But you profane it when you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is contemptible.’ ¹³You also say: ‘Oh, what a nuisance!’ And you turn up your nose at it,” says the LORD of Hosts. “You bring offerings that are stolen, lame, or sick! Should I accept these from your hands?” asks the LORD. ¹⁴“But cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the nations.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.