Against the Priests

6 ‘A son honours his father and servant their master. If I am a father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is the one who fears me? So says the Lord to you, priests who despise my name. You ask, “How have we despised your name?” 7 You offer on my altar bread that is polluted. You ask, “How have we polluted it?” Because you say, “The table of the Lord is contemptible.” 8 When you offer the blind animal for sacrifice, “It doesn’t matter!” And when you offer the lame and the sick “It doesn’t matter!” Give an animal like that to your governor; will he be pleased with it? Will he receive you favourably?’ says the Lord of hosts. 9 Now, plead for the favour of God with such an offering, so that he may be gracious to us. ‘Would I receive any of you favourably?’ says the Lord of hosts.

10 ‘If only one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you could not kindle useless fires on my altar! I have no pleasure in you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘Nor will I accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place they offer to my name a pure offering. For my name is great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts.

12 ‘But you profane me when you say, “The table of the Lord is polluted, and its food is contemptible.” 13 You say also, “How tired we are of all this!” and you sniff contemptuously at it. You have brought the blind, the lame and the sick as offerings. Should I accept this from your hand?’ says the Lord of hosts. 14 ‘Cursed be the cheat, who has in his flock a valuable male, but vows and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished animal! For I am a great king,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and my name is feared among the nations.’

2 ‘Now, you priests, this command is for you. 2 If you will not hear, and if you do not take it to heart, to give glory to my name,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘Then I will lay a curse on you. I will turn your blessings into curses. Indeed I have already done so, because you pay no attention. 3 I will punish your descendants! I will spread offal upon your faces, even the offal of your pilgrim feasts, you will be discarded. 4 You will then know that I have sent this command to you, so that my covenant with Levi may be preserved,’ says the Lord of hosts.

5 ‘My covenant with him was to give life and peace. I gave them to him so that he might revere me. He revered me, and stood in awe of my name. 6 The true instruction was in his mouth, and injustice was not found in his lips; He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. 7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

8 ‘But you have turned aside from that way. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,’ says the Lord of hosts. 9 ‘So I have I made you contemptible and degraded before all the people, because you have not kept my ways, and have had no respect for me in imparting the law.’