11:1 Nah 1:1; Mdo 7:38; Rum 3:1-2; 1Pet 4:11Ujumbe: Neno la Bwana kwa Israeli kupitia kwa Malaki.
Yakobo Alipendwa, Esau Alichukiwa
21:2 Kum 4:37; Mal 2:14-17; 3:7-13; Yer 46:27; Rum 9:13; Mwa 25:23; 28:13Bwana asema, “Nimewapenda ninyi.”
“Lakini ninyi mnauliza, ‘Wewe umetupendaje?’ ”
Bwana asema, “Je, Esau hakuwa ndugu yake Yakobo? Hata hivyo nimempenda Yakobo, 31:3 Lk 14:26; Eze 35:3; Isa 34:10; 13:22lakini nikamchukia Esau, nami nimeifanya milima yake kuwa ukiwa, na urithi wake nimewapa mbweha wa jangwani.”
41:4 Isa 11:14; 34:11; 9:10; 34:5; Mao 4:22; Eze 25:12-14; 26; 14Edomu anaweza kusema, “Ingawa tumepondapondwa, tutajenga upya magofu.”
Lakini hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote asemalo: “Wanaweza kujenga, lakini nitabomoa. Wataitwa Nchi Ovu, watu ambao siku zote wapo chini ya ghadhabu ya Bwana. 51:5 Za 35:17; 48:1; Mik 5:4; Isa 45:22; 52:10; Amo 1:11-12; Za 83:18Mtayaona kwa macho yenu wenyewe na kusema, ‘Bwana ni mkuu, hata nje ya mipaka ya Israeli!’
Dhabihu Zilizo Na Mawaa
61:6 Law 20:9; Mt 15:14; 23:9; Lk 6:46; Ay 5:17; Kum 31; 12; 20:12; 5:16; Efe 6:2; Lk 18:20“Mwana humheshimu baba yake, naye mtumishi humheshimu bwana wake. Kama mimi ni baba, iko wapi heshima ninayostahili? Kama mimi ni bwana, iko wapi heshima ninayostahili?” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote. “Ni ninyi, enyi makuhani, mnaolidharau Jina langu.
“Lakini mnauliza, ‘Tumelidharau Jina lako kwa namna gani?’
71:7 Law 21:6; Eze 23; 41; 41:22“Mnatoa sadaka chakula kilichotiwa unajisi juu ya madhabahu yangu.
“Lakini ninyi mnauliza, ‘Tumekutia unajisi kwa namna gani?’
“Kwa kusema kuwa meza ya Bwana ni ya kudharauliwa. 81:8 Law 1:3; Kum 15:21; Mwa 32:20; Isa 43:23; Ay 42:8Wakati mletapo dhabihu za wanyama walio vipofu, je, hilo si kosa? Mnapoleta dhabihu zilizo vilema au wanyama wagonjwa, je, hilo si kosa? Jaribuni kuvitoa kwa mtawala wenu! Je, angefurahishwa nanyi? Je, atawakubalia?” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.
91:9 Law 23:33-44; Za 51:17; Mik 6:6-8; Rum 12; 1; Ebr 13:16; Yer 6:20; Hos 13:9“Basi mwombeni Mungu awe na neema kwetu. Je, kwa sadaka kama hizo kutoka mikononi mwenu, atawapokea?” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.
101:10 2Nya 28:24; Hos 5:6; Mal 2:12; Law 22; 20; Isa 1:11-14; Yer 14:12; 1Kor 9:13; Flp 3:18-19“Laiti mmoja wenu angalifunga milango ya Hekalu, ili msije mkawasha moto usiokuwa na faida juu ya madhabahu yangu! Sina furaha nanyi,” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, “nami sitaikubali sadaka toka mikononi mwenu. 111:11 Isa 24:15; 56:6; 6:3; 12:4; 60:6-7; 19:21; Za 113:3; Mt 8:11; Ufu 5:8; Ebr 13:15; Isa 59:19; 66:19; Yn 4:21; 1Tim 2:8Jina langu litakuwa kuu miongoni mwa mataifa, kuanzia mawio ya jua hata machweo yake. Kila mahali uvumba na sadaka safi zitaletwa kwa Jina langu, kwa sababu Jina langu litakuwa kuu miongoni mwa mataifa,” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.
121:12 Eze 41:22“Lakini mnalinajisi Jina langu kwa kusema kuhusu meza ya Bwana, ‘Imetiwa unajisi pamoja na chakula chake. Ni ya kudharauliwa.’ 131:13 Isa 43:22-24; Hes 14:11; Kum 15:21; Law 22:20; Isa 1:12Nanyi mnasema, ‘Mzigo gani huu!’ Nanyi mnaidharau kwa kiburi,” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.
“Wakati mnapowaleta wanyama mliopokonya kwa nguvu, walio vilema au walio wagonjwa na kuwatoa kama dhabihu, je, niwakubali kutoka mikononi mwenu?” asema Bwana. 141:14 Kut 12:5; Za 95:3; 72:6-11; Oba 1:21; Law 22:18-21; Mdo 5:1“Amelaaniwa yeye adanganyaye, aliye na mnyama wa kiume anayekubalika katika kundi lake na kuweka nadhiri ya kumtoa, lakini akatoa dhabihu ya mnyama aliye na dosari kwa Bwana. Kwa kuwa mimi ni Mfalme Mkuu, nalo Jina langu linapaswa kuogopwa miongoni mwa mataifa,” asema Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.
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.
