1 A prophecy: The word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. [^1]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,3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."4 Edom 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.5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the LORD —even beyond the borders of Israel!'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.8 When 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.11 My 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.'13 And 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 Onus verbi Domini ad Isral in manu Malachi.2 Dilexi vos, dicit Dominus, et dixistis : In quo dilexisti nos ? Nonne frater erat Esau Jacob ? dicit Dominus : et dilexi Jacob, 3 Esau autem odio habui, et posui montes ejus in solitudinem, et hreditatem ejus in dracones deserti. 4 Quod si dixerit Iduma : Destructi sumus, sed revertentes dificabimus qu destructa sunt : hc dicit Dominus exercituum : Isti dificabunt, et ego destruam : et vocabuntur termini impietatis, et populus cui iratus est Dominus usque in ternum. 5 Et oculi vestri videbunt, et vos dicetis : Magnificetur Dominus super terminum Isral.6 Filius honorat patrem, et servus dominum suum. Si ergo pater ego sum, ubi est honor meus ? et si Dominus ego sum, ubi est timor meus ? dicit Dominus exercituum. Ad vos, o sacerdotes, qui despicitis nomen meum, et dixistis : In quo despeximus nomen tuum ? 7 Offertis super altare meum panem pollutum, et dicitis : In quo polluimus te ? in eo quod dicitis : Mensa Domini despecta est. 8 Si afferatis ccum ad immolandum, nonne malum est ? et si offeratis claudum et languidum, nonne malum est ? offer illud duci tuo, si placuerit ei, aut si susceperit faciem tuam, dicit Dominus exercituum. 9 Et nunc deprecamini vultum Dei ut misereatur vestri (de manu enim vestra factum est hoc), si quomodo suscipiat facies vestras, dicit Dominus exercituum. 10 Quis est in vobis qui claudat ostia, et incendat altare meum gratuito ? non est mihi voluntas in vobis, dicit Dominus exercituum, et munus non suscipiam de manu vestra. 11 Ab ortu enim solis usque ad occasum, magnum est nomen meum in gentibus, et in omni loco sacrificatur : et offertur nomini meo oblatio munda, quia magnum est nomen meum in gentibus, dicit Dominus exercituum. 12 Et vos polluistis illud in eo quod dicitis : Mensa Domini contaminata est, et quod superponitur contemptibilis est, cum igne qui illud devorat. 13 Et dixistis : Ecce de labore, et exsufflastis illud, dicit Dominus exercituum : et intulistis de rapinis claudum et languidum, et intulistis munus : numquid suscipiam illud de manu vestra ? dicit Dominus. 14 Maledictus dolosus qui habet in grege suo masculum et, votum faciens, immolat debile Domino : quia rex magnus ego, dicit Dominus exercituum, et nomen meum horribile in gentibus.