1 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. 2  “If you do ALev 26:14, 15; Deut 28:15not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, “then I will send the BDeut 28:16-20curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have CMal 3:9cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3  “Behold, I am going to ALev 26:16; Deut 28:38rebuke your 1Lit seedoffspring, and I will BNah 3:6spread 2Or vomitrefuse on your faces, the 2Or vomitrefuse of your CEx 29:14feasts; and you will be taken away 3Lit towith it. 4  “Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, 1Or to be My covenant withthat My ANum 3:11-13, 45; 18:21; Neh 13:29; Mal 3:1covenant may 2Lit becontinue with Levi,” says the Loʀᴅ of hosts. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and ANum 25:12peace, and I gave them to him as an object of 1Or fearreverence; so he 2Or fearedBNum 25:7, 8, 13revered Me and stood in awe of My name. 6  “1Or Law of truthAPs 119:142, 151, 160True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked BDeut 33:8, 9; Ps 37:37with Me in peace and uprightness, and he CJer 23:22turned many back from iniquity. 7  “For the lips of a priest should preserve ALev 10:11; Neh 8:7knowledge, and 1Lit theymen should BNum 27:21; Deut 17:8-11; Jer 18:18; Ezek 7:26seek 2Or lawinstruction from his mouth; for he is the CHag 1:13messenger of the Loʀᴅ of hosts. 8  “But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to AJer 18:15stumble 1Or in the lawby the instruction; you have 2Or violatedBNum 25:12, 13; Neh 13:29; Ezek 44:10corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Loʀᴅ of hosts. 9 “So ANah 3:6I also have made you despised and BEzek 7:26abased 1Lit tobefore all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing CDeut 1:17; Mic 3:11partiality in the 2Or lawinstruction.

10 “Do we not all have AIs 63:16; 64:8; Jer 31:9; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6one father? BActs 17:24fHas not one God created us? Why do we deal CJer 9:4, 5treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the DEx 19:4-6; 24:3, 7, 8covenant of our fathers? 11  “Judah has dealt AJer 3:7-9treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has BEzra 9:1, 2profaned the sanctuary of the Loʀᴅ 1Or in that He has loved and marriedwhich He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12  “As for the man who does this, may the AEzek 24:21; Hos 9:12Loʀᴅ cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who BMal 1:10, 13presents 1Or a grain offeringan offering to the Loʀᴅ of hosts.

13 “This is 1Lit secondanother thing you do: you cover the altar of the Loʀᴅ with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He AJer 11:14; 14:12no longer regards the 2Or grain offeringoffering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14  “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Loʀᴅ has been a witness between you and the AIs 54:6wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt BJer 9:2; Mal 3:5treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15  “1Or Did He not make one, although He had the remnantBut not one has AGen 2:24; Matt 19:4, 5done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And 2Or why one? He sought a godly offspringwhat did that one do while he was seeking a BRuth 4:12; 1 Sam 2:20godly 3Lit seedoffspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal CEx 20:14; Lev 20:10treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16  “For 1Lit He hatesI hate 2Lit sending awayADeut 24:1; Matt 5:31; 19:6-8divorce,” says the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel, “and 3Lit he covershim who covers his garment with 4Or violenceBPs 73:6; Is 59:6wrong,” says the Loʀᴅ of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

17 You have AIs 43:22, 24wearied the Loʀᴅ with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “BIs 5:20; Zeph 1:12Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Loʀᴅ, and He CJob 9:24delights in them,” or, “D2 Pet 3:4Where is the God of EIs 5:19; Jer 17:15justice?”