2 “I have loved you all,” says Yahweh, but you say, “How have you shown your love for us?”

“Wasn’t Esaw Yacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I’ve loved Yacob[ref] 3 and rejected Esaw. I’ve turned the hills where Esaw lived into a wasteland and given his inheritance to the wild jackals.”

4 If Esaw’s descendants in Edom say, “We’ve been crushed, but we’ll return and rebuild what was destroyed,” then army-commander Yahweh will say, “They might build, but I will tear down. Others will call them ‘The country of wickedness’ and ‘The people who Yahweh is forever angry with.’

5 Your own eyes will see it, and you’ll say, ‘Yahweh is great even outside Israel’s borders.’ ”

6 “A son honours his father, and a servant honours his master, so if I’m a father, where is my honour? If I am a master, where is my respect?” says army-commander Yahweh to all you priests who despise my name.

“But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food on my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that Yahweh’s table can just be disrespected. 8 Don’t you think it’s wrong when you sacrifice blind animals? Isn’t it evil when you offer lame or sick animals? Try presenting them to your governor! Will he welcome you or would he be offended?” says army-commander Yahweh.[ref]

9 So now bring you requests to God and hope to be showered by his grace. Ha, army-commander Yahweh asks how he could treat you all favourably when you’re bringing second-class offerings?

10 “Yeah, if only there was one person among you who would shut the temple gates so that you all couldn’t just continue to light worthless fires on my altar. I get no pleasure from you all,” says army-commander Yahweh, “and I won’t accept any offering that you all bring me. 11 People in other countries from the east all the way to the west will honour me, and incense and genuine sacrifices will be offered to me, because my reputation in those countries will be praised,” says army-commander Yahweh. 12 “But you all are dishonouring my name when you say that the master’s table is polluted, and that its fruit, its food, can be treated with contempt. 13 You all also say, ‘How tiresome this is,’ and you snort at it,” says army-commander Yahweh. “You all bring animals for your offering that were killed by a wild animal or is lame or sick. Should I accept those from you?” says Yahweh. 14 “May the cheats be cursed who have male animals in their flocks and vow to give them, but instead sacrifices a second-class animal to the master! Yes, I’m a powerful king,” says army-commander Yahweh, “and my name will be carefully respected among the nations.”

2 Now you priests, this command is for all of you: 2 Army-commander Yahweh says, “If you all won’t listen and won’t decide in your minds to honour to my reputation, then I’ll send a curse on you all—in fact I’ll curse your blessings. Indeed, I’ve already cursed them, because you all are not internalising my instructions. 3 Listen, I’m about to rebuke your descendants, and I’ll spread the offal from your festivals on your faces, and you all will be taken away with it. 4 That’s so you’ll all know that it’s me who sent this command to you: so that my agreement with the Levites can continue,” says army-commander Yahweh.[ref]

5 “My agreement with your ancestor Levi was to give life and peace, and I gave them to them. It was an agreement based on respect, and they respected me and honoured my name.[ref] 6 They taught the people what was right and true—they didn’t tell lies. They worked for me peacefully and loyally, and they encouraged many people to stop disobeying. 7 Yes, priests should pass on knowledge and people should look to them for good teaching, because they are army-commander Yahweh’s messengers.

8 But you all have turned away from that path and have caused many people to stumble because of what you’ve taught—you all have corrupted the agreement with Levi,” says army-commander Yahweh. 9 “So that’s why I’ve caused you all to be despised by all the people and humiliated—because you all haven’t followed me, but rather you’ve been biased in matters of the law.”

10 Don’t we all have one father? Didn’t the one God create us all? So why do we cheat each other, thus disrespecting the agreement with our ancestors? 11 Our nation of Yehudah (Judah) has been unfaithful to Yahweh and done detestable things in Israel and in Yerushalem. Our men have defiled the temple that Yahweh loves by marrying foreign women who worship pagan gods. 12 May Yahweh, the one who is awake and the one who answers, banish the men who do this from Israel, even if they are bringing an offering to army-commander Yahweh.

13 Secondly, you cover Yahweh’s altar with tears from all your weeping and groaning because he still ignores your offerings and won’t accept what you all bring to him. 14 So you ask, “Why not?” Well, it’s because Yahweh can testify that you’ve been unfaithful to the wife that you married when you were young, even though she was your companion, and despite your vows. 15 Didn’t Yahweh make you and your wife one and give you some of his spirit because he wanted godly children to come from your marriage? So guard yourselves in your spirit, and don’t be unfaithful to the woman you married when you were young.

16 “Indeed, I hate divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and so-called ‘good people’ who’re actually cruel,” says army-commander Yahweh. “So listen to your consciences and don’t be unfaithful.”

17 You’ve all wearied Yahweh with your words, and yet you ask, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Yahweh is pleased even with those who do evil, and he’s happy with all of them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

3 “Listen, I’m about to send my messenger and he’ll prepare the path ahead of me. Then the master who you’re all looking for will suddenly come to his temple, yes, the messenger who you are all happy about—the party to the agreement—he’ll come,” says army-commander Yahweh.[ref] 2 But who could survive it when he comes? Who can stand when he appears, because he’ll be like the refiner’s fire and like the cleaners’ powerful soap?[ref] 3 Yahweh will act as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify Levi’s descendants the priests—yes, he’ll refine you all with fire like gold and silver, and you’ll bring offerings to him that are acceptable. 4 After that, the offerings of the people of Yudah and Yerushalem will be pleasing to Yahweh, as in ancient times, and as in previous years.

5 This is what army-commander Yahweh says, “At that time, I’ll come to you all to judge you. I’ll quickly testify against all those who practice sorcery, against adulterers, against those who lie in court, against those who don’t pay their workers fairly, against those who mistreat widows and orphans, against those who don’t treat the foreigners among you decently, and against those who refuse to honour me.

6 “I am Yahweh and I don’t change—that’s the only reason why you descendants of Yacob haven’t been destroyed. 7 Ever since the time when your ancestors were alive, you all have ignored my commands and refused to obey them. Now return to me—if you all do so, I’ll return to you. That’s what I, army-commander Yahweh, say. But you all ask, ‘How can we return to you?’ 8 Can a human rob God? Yes, you’re all robbing me, but you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ By failing to give a tenth plus offerings. 9 You’re all cursed because you’re robbing me—the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tenth into the temple storeroom, so that there’ll be food in my house for the temple workers,” says army-commander Yahweh. “In fact, you all can test me by doing that and see if I don’t open the windows of heaven for you all and pour out an overflowing blessing for you.[ref] 11 I’ll rebuke the devourer[fn] for you all, so that it won’t destroy your crops, and the fruit off your vines in the countryside won’t be lost,” says army-commander Yahweh. 12 “Then all the other countries would say that you’ve all been blessed, because your land would be prosperous,” says army-commander Yahweh.

13 “Your words against me have been harsh,” says Yahweh. “But you all say, ‘What have we said among ourselves against you?’ 14 You’ve all said, ‘It’s a waste of time serving God. What did we gain by keeping his requirements, or by being sorrowful in front of army-commander Yahweh? 15 It seems that arrogant people are happier. Evil people not only prosper, but they even challenge God yet nothing happens to them.’ ”

16 Then those who still respected Yahweh spoke with one another. Yahweh paid attention and listened, and while he watched, a book of remembrance was written about those who respected Yahweh and honoured his name. 17 “They’ll be mine,” says army-commander Yahweh. “On the day when I assemble my treasured possession, I won’t punish those people, just like a father doesn’t punish his son who obeys him. 18 Then once again you’ll all be able to see the difference between righteous people and wicked people—between those who serve God and those who don’t.

4 “Yes, listen, the day that burns like a furnace is coming, when all the arrogant people and all the evildoers will become useless pieces of dry stalks in a field. The day that is coming will burn them up,” says army-commander Yahweh, “so they’ll be gone without leaving any roots or branches. 2 But for you who respect my name, the sun of righteousness will rise and bring healing. You’ll all go out, jumping around like calves let out of their stall, 3 and you’ll all trample down the wicked people, because they’ll just be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I act,” says army-commander Yahweh.

4 “Be sure to obey the law that I gave my servant Mosheh at Mt. Sinai for all Israel—the statutes and the rulings.

5 Listen, I’ll send the prophet Eliyyah to you all, ahead of the coming of the great but fearful day of my judgement.[ref] 6 He’ll restore harmony between fathers and their children, so that I don’t have to come and strike the earth with complete destruction.”