1 And now,ych. 1:6 O priests,zver. 4 this command is for you. 2 aLev. 26:14; See Deut. 28:15 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will sendb[ch. 3:9] the curse upon you and I will cursec[Ps. 69:22] your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold,d[Joel 1:17; Hag. 2:17] I will rebuke your offspring, andeNah. 3:6 spread dung on your faces, thef[Ex. 29:14] dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.2Or to it 4 So shall you know that I have sentgver. 1 this command to you, thathver. 8; Num. 25:12, 13; Neh. 13:29; [Num. 3:45] my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life andiSee Isa. 54:10 peace, and I gave them to him.j[Lev. 16:2] It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 k[Deut. 33:10] True instruction1Or law; also verses 7, 8, 9 was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and hel[Dan. 12:3; James 5:20] turned many from iniquity. 7 FormDeut. 17:9; See Lev. 10:11 the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way.n[1 Sam. 2:17; Jer. 18:15; Ezek. 22:26] You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corruptedoSee ver. 4 the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and sop[1 Sam. 2:30] I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways butqDeut. 1:17; 16:19 show partiality in your instruction. ”
10 Have we not allr1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6 one Father? Has notsActs 17:26 one God created us? Why then are wet[Isa. 21:2; 24:16; 33:1] faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has beent[See ver. 10 above] faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. ForuSee Ezra 9:2 Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob, any descendant of the man who does this, whov[ch. 1:7] brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this second thing you do.w[Zech. 7:3] You cover the Lord 's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 x[ch. 1:2] But you say, “Why does he not? ” Because the Lordych. 3:5 was witness between you and the wife of your youth,z[ver. 11; Isa. 54:6] to whomt[See ver. 10 above] you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 aMatt. 19:4, 5; See Gen. 2:24 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking?3Or And not one has done this who has a portion of the Spirit. And what was that one seeking?b[Ezra 9:2] Godly offspring. So guard yourselves4Or So take care; also verse 16 in your spirit, and let none of yout[See ver. 10 above] be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “ForcMatt. 5:32; Mark 10:9, 11; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7:10 the man who hates and divorces, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers1Probable meaning (compare Septuagint and Deuteronomy 24:1-4); or For theLord, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce, and him who covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, andt[See ver. 10 above] do not be faithless. ”
17 dIsa. 43:24 You have wearied the Lord with your words.x[See ver. 14 above] But you say, “How have we wearied him? ”e[ch. 3:15; Isa. 5:20] By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them. ” Or by asking,f[ch. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:4] “Where is the God of justice? ”