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.”