CHAPTER 1

¹A portent: the word of the LORD through Malachi.

                 ²I have loved you, said the LORD,

                     and you said, “How have you loved us?”

                 Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? said the LORD.

                     And I loved Jacob,

                 ³but Esau I hated,

                     and I made his mountains a desolation

                         and his estate—for the desert jackals.

                 ⁴Should Edom say, “We are beggared,

                     but once more we will build the ruins,”

                 thus said the LORD of Armies:

                     They shall build but I will destroy,

                 and they shall be called the region of wickedness

                     and the people the LORD cursed for all time.

                 ⁵And your own eyes shall see and you shall say,

                     “May the LORD be great beyond the region of Israel.”

                 ⁶A son honors his father,

                     and a slave his master,

                 but if I am a father,

                     where is My honor,

                 and if I am a master,

                     where is the fear of Me?

                 said the LORD of Armies to you,

                     priests who despise My name.

                         And you said, “How have we despised Your name?”

                 ⁷Bringing on My altar

                     defiled food,

                         and you say, “How have we defiled You?”

                 When you say the LORD’s table

                     is despised,

                 ⁸and when you bring a blind beast to sacrifice—

                     “there is nothing wrong.”

                 And when you bring a lame and sickly beast—

                     “there is nothing wrong.”

                 Offer it, pray, to your prefect.

                     Will he be pleased with you or favor you?

                         said the LORD of Armies.

                 ⁹And now, entreat, pray,

                     God, that He be gracious to us

                 From your hand this was.

                     Will He show favor to you?

                         said the LORD of Armies.

                 ¹⁰Who then among you would close double doors

                     and not light fire on My altar in vain?

                 I have no desire of you,

                     said the LORD of Armies,

                         and with grain offering from your land I will not be pleased.

                 ¹¹For from the sun’s rising to its setting

                     great is My name among the nations,

                 and in every place incense is offered to My name

                     and pure grain offering,

                 for great is My name among the nations,

                     said the LORD of Armies.

                 ¹²But you profane it

                     when you say, “The Master’s table is defiled,

                         and the food on it despised.”

                 ¹³And you say, “How tiresome,”

                     and you insult Me, said the LORD of Armies.

                 And you bring the stolen and the lame and the sickly,

                     and you bring the grain offering.

                 Will I be pleased with it from your hand?

                     said the LORD.

¹⁴And cursed be the schemer who has in his flock a sound male but pledges and sacrifices a damaged one to the Master. For I am a great king, said the LORD of Armies, and My name is fearsome among the nations.