7 From the time of your forefathers onward, you have turned away from my laws and not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.
But you ask, "How should we return?"3:7. The sense seems to be that the people do not see any necessity to return, not recognizing they have done anything wrong.
8 Should people defraud God? Yet you are defrauding me!3:8. "Defraud": this is closer to the original meaning than rob. It also continues the theme of the people being descendants of the deceiver Jacob, who defrauded his brother out of his birthright.
But you ask, "How have we defrauded you?"
In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse, for you and the whole nation are defrauding me. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there will be food in my Temple. Put me to the test in this, says the Lord Almighty, and I will open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won’t have enough room for it. 11 I will prevent locusts3:11. Literally, "the devourer." from destroying your crops, and your vineyards will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord Almighty.