Maleakhi 1:6

The Sacrilege of Priestly Service

1:6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects ¹  his master. If I am your ²  father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord who rules over all asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’

Maleakhi 2:2

2:2 If you do not listen and take seriously ³  the need to honor my name,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will send judgment ⁴  on you and turn your blessings into curses – indeed, I have already done so because you are not taking it to heart.

Maleakhi 1:11

1:11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” ⁵  says the Lord who rules over all.

Maleakhi 2:5

2:5 “My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me.

Maleakhi 3:16

3:16 Then those who respected ⁶  the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. ⁷  A scroll ⁸  was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

Maleakhi 1:14

1:14 “There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,” ⁹  says the Lord who rules over all, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”

Maleakhi 3:5

3:5 “I ¹⁰  will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, ¹¹  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ¹²  who refuse to help ¹³  the immigrant ¹⁴  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

[1:6]  ¹ tn The verb “respects” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. It is understood by ellipsis (see “honors” in the preceding line).

[1:6]  ² tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “and if you do not place upon [the] heart”; KJV, NAB, NRSV “lay it to heart.”

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “the curse” (so NASB, NRSV); NLT “a terrible curse.”

[1:11]  ⁵ sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”

[3:16]  ⁸ sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).

[1:14]  ⁹ sn The epithet great king was used to describe the Hittite rulers on their covenant documents and so, in the covenant ideology of Malachi, is an apt description of the Lord.

[3:5]  ¹⁰ tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the Lord) indicates that the Lord himself now speaks (see also v. 1). The prophet speaks in vv. 2-4 (see also 2:17).

[3:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

[3:5]  ¹² tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

[3:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

[3:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”