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 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.
1以下是耶和华借玛拉基给以色列人的启示。
耶和华爱以色列
2耶和华说：“我爱你们。”你们却说：“你哪里爱我们了？”耶和华说：“以扫不是雅各的哥哥吗？我却爱雅各， 3厌恶以扫。我使以扫的山岭荒凉，把他的地业留给旷野的豺狼。” 4以东人会说：“我们虽被摧毁，却要重建废墟。”万军之耶和华却说：“他们尽管建造，但我必拆毁。他们的土地要被称为‘罪恶之地’，他们要被称为‘耶和华永远恼怒之民’。” 5以色列人啊，你们必亲眼看见这事，也必说：“耶和华在以色列境外大受尊崇！”
斥责祭司
6万军之耶和华对祭司说：“儿子尊敬父亲，仆人敬畏主人。我既是父亲，对我的尊敬在哪里呢？我既是主人，对我的敬畏在哪里呢？你们这些祭司藐视我的名，却说，‘我们哪里藐视你的名了？’ 7你们把污秽的食物献在我的祭坛上，还说，‘我们哪里玷污你了？’你们说耶和华的桌子是可藐视的。 8你们献上瞎眼的牲畜作祭物，难道这不是罪过吗？你们献上瘸腿和有病的牲畜作祭物，难道这不是罪过吗？你试试把这些献给你的省长，看他会不会悦纳你、恩待你。这是万军之耶和华说的。”
9现在，你们祈求上帝向我们施恩吧！你们献上这样的祭物，祂怎会垂听你们的祈求呢？这是万军之耶和华说的。 10万军之耶和华说：“唯愿你们当中有人把殿门关上，免得你们在我祭坛上枉然点火。因为我不喜悦你们，也不悦纳你们的祭物。” 11万军之耶和华说：“从日出之地到日落之处，我的名在列国必大受尊崇。遍地都有人向我焚香，献上洁净的供物。因为我的名在列国必大受尊崇。 12你们却亵渎我的名，说主的桌子是污秽的，上面的祭物是可藐视的。 13你们说，‘这些事真麻烦！’你们对此嗤之以鼻。这是万军之耶和华说的。你们把抢来的、瘸腿的、有病的献给我，我岂能悦纳？这是耶和华说的。 14诡诈之人该受咒诅！他许愿要献上羊群中的公羊，却把伤残的献给主。因为我是大君王，我的名在列国必受敬畏。这是万军之耶和华说的。”
