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以下是耶和華藉瑪拉基給以色列人的啟示。
耶和華愛以色列
2耶和華說：「我愛你們。」你們卻說：「你哪裡愛我們了？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各， 3厭惡以掃。我使以掃的山嶺荒涼，把他的地業留給曠野的豺狼。」 4以東人會說：「我們雖被摧毀，卻要重建廢墟。」萬軍之耶和華卻說：「他們儘管建造，但我必拆毀。他們的土地要被稱為『罪惡之地』，他們要被稱為『耶和華永遠惱怒之民』。」 5以色列人啊，你們必親眼看見這事，也必說：「耶和華在以色列境外大受尊崇！」
斥責祭司
6萬軍之耶和華對祭司說：「兒子尊敬父親，僕人敬畏主人。我既是父親，對我的尊敬在哪裡呢？我既是主人，對我的敬畏在哪裡呢？你們這些祭司藐視我的名，卻說，『我們哪裡藐視你的名了？』 7你們把污穢的食物獻在我的祭壇上，還說，『我們哪裡玷污你了？』你們說耶和華的桌子是可藐視的。 8你們獻上瞎眼的牲畜作祭物，難道這不是罪過嗎？你們獻上瘸腿和有病的牲畜作祭物，難道這不是罪過嗎？你試試把這些獻給你的省長，看他會不會悅納你、恩待你。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。」
9現在，你們祈求上帝向我們施恩吧！你們獻上這樣的祭物，祂怎會垂聽你們的祈求呢？這是萬軍之耶和華說的。 10萬軍之耶和華說：「唯願你們當中有人把殿門關上，免得你們在我祭壇上枉然點火。因為我不喜悅你們，也不悅納你們的祭物。」 11萬軍之耶和華說：「從日出之地到日落之處，我的名在列國必大受尊崇。遍地都有人向我焚香，獻上潔淨的供物。因為我的名在列國必大受尊崇。 12你們卻褻瀆我的名，說主的桌子是污穢的，上面的祭物是可藐視的。 13你們說，『這些事真麻煩！』你們對此嗤之以鼻。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。你們把搶來的、瘸腿的、有病的獻給我，我豈能悅納？這是耶和華說的。 14詭詐之人該受咒詛！他許願要獻上羊群中的公羊，卻把傷殘的獻給主。因為我是大君王，我的名在列國必受敬畏。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。」
