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¹耶和華的話，藉瑪拉基傳給以色列的默示。

耶和華愛以色列

²耶和華說：「我曾愛你們。」你們卻說：「你在何事上愛我們呢？」耶和華說：「以掃不是雅各的哥哥嗎？我卻愛雅各， ³惡以掃，使他的山嶺荒涼，把他的地業交給曠野的野狗。」 ⁴以東若說：「我們雖被毀壞，卻要重建荒廢之處。」萬軍之耶和華如此說：「任他們建造，我必拆毀；人必稱他們為『邪惡之境』，為『耶和華永遠惱怒之民』。」 ⁵你們必親眼看見，你們要說：「耶和華在以色列疆界之外必尊為大！」

斥責祭司

⁶萬軍之耶和華對你們說：「兒子孝敬父親，僕人敬畏主人；我既為父親，孝敬我的在哪裏呢？我既為主人，敬畏我的在哪裏呢？你們這些藐視我名的祭司啊！」你們卻說：「我們在何事上藐視你的名呢？」 ⁷「你們將不潔淨的食物獻在我的祭壇上，卻說：『我們在何事上使你不潔淨呢？』你們說，耶和華的供桌是可藐視的。 ⁸你們將瞎眼的獻為祭物，這不算為惡嗎？將瘸腿的、有病的獻上，這不算為惡嗎？那麼，請把這些獻給你的省長，他豈會悅納你⚓，豈會抬舉你呢？這是萬軍之耶和華說的。」
⁹現在我勸你們要懇求上帝，好讓他施恩給我們。這事既出於你們的手，他豈會抬舉你們任何人呢？這是萬軍之耶和華說的。 ¹⁰萬軍之耶和華說：「甚願你們中間有人把殿的門⚓關上，免得你們徒然在我壇上燒火。我不喜歡你們，也不從你們手中悅納供物。」 ¹¹萬軍之耶和華說：「從日出之地到日落之處，我的名在列國中必尊為大。在各處，人必奉我的名燒香，獻潔淨的供物，因為我的名在列國中必尊為大。 ¹²你們卻褻瀆我的名，說：『主的供桌是不潔淨的，供桌上的果子和食物是可藐視的。』 ¹³你們又說：『看哪，這些事何等煩瑣！』並嗤之以鼻⚓。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。你們把搶來的、瘸腿的、有病的拿來獻上為祭，我豈能從你們手中悅納它呢？這是耶和華說的。 ¹⁴行詭詐的人是可詛咒的！他的羣畜中雖有公羊，他許了願，卻將有殘疾的獻給主。因我是大君王，我的名在列國中是可畏的。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。」

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¹A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.⚓

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.