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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Mal 1 V1 V2 V3 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14
OET (OET-LV) If/because ʼEdōm it_will_say we_have_been_shattered and_we_will_return and_we_will_rebuild the_ruins thus YHWH he_says hosts they they_will_build and_I I_will_tear_down and_people_will_call to/for_them a_territory_of wickedness and_the_people which he_was_indignant YHWH until perpetuity.
OET (OET-RV) 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.’
At the time when Malachi was writing, the people of Israel were discouraged. Some years earlier their enemies, the Babylonians, had defeated them in war and had taken them as slaves to Babylon.
After some time the people of Israel had been released and were now living again in their own land, but life was very difficult. Perhaps they felt that the LORD had failed to bless them as a nation. They questioned whether the LORD really loved them. The LORD answered this accusation by pointing out that he had chosen to love them more than other nations. He told them that he had shown this love when he chose their ancestor Jacob and entered into a covenant relationship with him and his descendants (Genesis 28:13–15, 35:9–12, 46:3–4).
Though Edom may say,
If the descendants of Esau, that is, the people of Edom say/boast,
Edom: This refers to the Edomites, the descendants of Edom. Edom was another name used to refer to EsauEsau was given the name Edom, meaning “red,” because of the red stew for which he gave up his position as the eldest son of Jacob (Genesis 25:30). (Genesis 25:30, 36:1). In some languages a footnote might be helpful to explain this.
may say: The text does not tell us to whom the Edomites were speaking. It is possible that they were speaking to each other. However it is recommended that you do not specify this unless it is necessary to do so in your language.
“We have been devastated,
“Our(excl) towns have been destroyed/spoilt,
“Enemies have destroyed/spoilt our(excl) towns,
We have been devastated: That is, our towns have been devastated/destroyed.
but we will rebuild the ruins,”
but we(excl) will build them again.”
but it does not matter, we(excl) will repair them.”
the ruins: This refers to what remained of Edom’s towns after their enemies had destroyed them.
this is what the LORD of Hosts says:
But Yahweh Sabaot replies,
This is what Yahweh Sabaot says to you(plur),
the LORD of Hosts: This special title for the LORD occurs twenty-four times in Malachi. See the discussion of this term in the Key biblical terms in the book of Malachi section in the Introduction.
says: The text does not specify to whom the LORD was speaking here. However it is clear that he was continuing to speak to Israel about Edom. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this explicit.
“They may build,
“Even if they build their towns again,
but I will demolish.
I will destroy them again.
They will be called the Land of Wickedness,
Then their land will be described as, ‘the region/area where people behave wickedly.’
Then when people talk about them, they will call them, ‘The wicked/evil country/nation.’
They will be called the Land of Wickedness: This is one way in which people described Edom.
the Land of Wickedness: This is a figure of speech. It is the people who lived in the region who were wicked, not the land itself.
and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.
And they will also call/refer-to them as, ‘the people with whom Yahweh will be angry forever.’
a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever: This is the second way in which people described Edom:
a people: This refers to the Edomites.
with whom the LORD is indignant forever: The Hebrew word which the BSB translates as is indignant refers both to anger and the action that shows that anger. One way to say this would be:
towards whom the LORD shows his anger forever.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֨ר אֱד֜וֹם
that/for/because/then/when says ʼEdōm
The word Edom is another name for “Esau.” Yahweh uses the word Edom by association to mean Esau’s descendants. If it would be helpful to your readers you could state this plainly. Alternate translation: [Though the Edomites say]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
רֻשַּׁ֗שְׁנוּ
shattered
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [Our enemies have beaten us down]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes
וְקָרְא֤וּ לָהֶם֙ גְּב֣וּל רִשְׁעָ֔ה וְהָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־זָעַ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה עַד־עוֹלָֽם
and,people_will_call to/for=them border wicked and,the,people which/who angry YHWH until forever
If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there are not quotations within a quotation. Alternate translation: [And people will say that they are a territory where wicked people live and that they are a people whom Yahweh abhors forever]
Note 4 topic: writing-pronouns
וְקָרְא֤וּ לָהֶם֙
and,people_will_call to/for=them
Here, they is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun, as modeled by the UST.
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
גְּב֣וּל רִשְׁעָ֔ה
border wicked
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of wickedness, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the wicked territory] or [the territory where wicked people live]
OET (OET-LV) If/because ʼEdōm it_will_say we_have_been_shattered and_we_will_return and_we_will_rebuild the_ruins thus YHWH he_says hosts they they_will_build and_I I_will_tear_down and_people_will_call to/for_them a_territory_of wickedness and_the_people which he_was_indignant YHWH until perpetuity.
OET (OET-RV) 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.’
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.
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