1Uthenga: Mawu a Yehova kwa Israeli kudzera mwa Malaki.
Ndamukonda Yakobo, Ndamuda Esau
2Yehova akuti, “Ine ndakukondani. Koma inu mukufunsa kuti, ‘Kodi mwatikonda motani?’ ”
Yehova akuti, “Kodi Esau sanali mʼbale wake wa Yakobo? Komatu Ine ndinakonda Yakobo, 3koma ndinamuda Esau, ndipo dziko lake lamapiri ndalisandutsa chipululu ndipo cholowa chake ndasiyira ankhandwe a mʼchipululu.”
4Mwina Edomu nʼkunena kuti, “Ngakhale taphwanyidwa, tidzamanganso mʼmabwinja.”
Koma Yehova Wamphamvuzonse akuti, “Iwo angathe kumanganso, koma Ine ndidzazigwetsanso. Iwo adzatchedwa dziko loyipa, la anthu amene Yehova wayipidwa nawo mpaka muyaya. 5Inu mudzaziona zimenezi ndi maso anu ndipo mudzati, ‘Yehova ndi Wamkulu, ukulu wake umafika ngakhale kunja kwa malire a Israeli!’
Nsembe Zosayenera
6“Mwana amalemekeza abambo ake, ndipo wantchito amaopa abwana ake. Ngati Ine ndine abambo anu, ulemu wanga uli kuti? Ngati ndine mbuye wanu, nanga kundiopa kuli kuti?” Akutero Yehova Wamphamvuzonse.
“Ndinu, inu ansembe, amene mumanyoza dzina langa.
“Komatu mukufunsa kuti, ‘Kodi timanyoza dzina lanu bwanji?’
7“Inu mwanyoza dzina langa popereka chakudya chodetsedwa pa guwa langa lansembe.
“Komatu mukufunsa kuti, ‘Kodi ife takunyozani bwanji?’
“Mwandinyoza ponena kuti tebulo la Yehova ndi lonyozeka. 8Mukamapereka nsembe nyama zosaona, kodi sicholakwa? Mukamapereka nsembe nyama zachilema kapena zodwala, kodi sicholakwa? Kayeseni kuzipereka kwa bwanamkubwa wanu! Kodi akasangalatsidwa nanu? Kodi akazilandira? Akutero Yehova Wamphamvuzonse.
9“Tsopano tayesani kupempha Mulungu kuti akuchitireni chifundo. Kodi ndi zopereka zotere mʼmanja mwanu, Iye angakulandireni?” Akutero Yehova Wamphamvuzonse.
10“Ndikulakalaka mmodzi wa inu akanatseka zitseko za Nyumba ya Mulungu, kuti musayatsemo moto pachabe pa guwa langa lansembe! Ine sindikukondwera nanu,” akutero Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, “ndipo Ine sindidzalandira zopereka za mʼmanja mwanu. 11Dzina langa lidzalemekezedwa pakati pa mitundu ya anthu, kuchokera kummawa mpaka kumadzulo. Mʼmalo monse adzapereka nsembe zofukiza ndi zopereka zangwiro mʼdzina langa, chifukwa dzina langa lidzakhala lalikulu pakati pa mitundu ya anthu,” akutero Yehova Wamphamvuzonse.
12“Koma inu mumalinyoza ponena kuti tebulo la Ambuye, ‘ndi lodetsedwa,’ ndipo chakudya chake, ‘nʼchonyozeka!’ 13Ndipo inu mumati, ‘Ndi zotopetsa zimenezi!’ Ndipo mumandinyogodola Ine,” akutero Yehova Wamphamvuzonse.
“Pamene inu mubweretsa nyama zakuba, zolumala kapena zodwala ndi kupereka nsembe, kodi Ine ndizilandire kuchokera mʼmanja mwanu?” Akutero Yehova. 14“Atembereredwe munthu wachinyengo amene ali ndi nyama yayimuna yabwino mʼgulu la ziweto zake ndipo analumbira kuyipereka, koma mʼmalo mwake nʼkupereka nsembe kwa Ambuye nyama yosayenera. Yehova Wamphamvuzonse akuti, ‘Pakuti ndine mfumu yayikulu, dzina langa liyenera kuopedwa pakati pa anthu a mitundu yonse.’ ”
1A prophecy: the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.1:1 Malachi means my messenger.
Israel doubts God’s love
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!”
Breaking covenant through blemished sacrifices
6‘A son honours his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honour due to me? If I am a master, where is the respect due to 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.
