1 "And now, O priests, this command is for you.
2 If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.
3 Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung upon your faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my presence.
4 So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the LORD of hosts.
5 My covenant with him was a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him, that he might fear; and he feared me, he stood in awe of my name.
6 True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.
7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
8 But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,
9 and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction."
10 Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
11 Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob, for the man who does this, any to witness or answer, or to bring an offering to the LORD of hosts!
13 And this again you do. You cover the LORD's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand.
14 You ask, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
15 Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth.
16 "For I hate divorce, says the LORD the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless."
17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "Every one who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them." Or by asking, "Where is the God of justice?"
Versículos relacionados com Malachi, 2:
Malachi 2 talks about the rebuke of the priests who failed to maintain the covenant with God and violated his holiness. The chapter begins with a rebuke to priests who do not honor the name of God and offer impure sacrifices. Then he talks about God's covenant with Levi, the priest, and how it was violated by the priests of the time. The chapter ends with a warning about the importance of covenant and fear of God. Here are five verses related to the topics covered in Malachi 2, in order of proximity:
Isaiah 24:5: "In fact, the earth is contaminated because of its residents, because they transgress the laws, change the statutes, and break the eternal covenant." This verse talks about how the earth is contaminated due to the transgression of the laws and the violation of the covenant. He relates to rebuke to priests who offer unclean sacrifices in Malachi 2.
Deuteronomy 33:8: "And Levi said, Thy tumin and your Urim are with your holy man, whom you proved in Massá, and with whom you have contested in the waters of Meribá." This verse talks about God's covenant with Levi, the priest. He relates to the discussion about the violation of the covenant in Malachi 2.
Jeremiah 18:7-8: "In an instant I will speak, about a nation, and about a kingdom, to tear, and to overthrow, and to destroy. If that nation, against which to speak, convert from its wickedness, too, too I will regret the evil I thought to do to him. " This verse talks about how God can change his mind and show mercy if a nation repents. He relates to the warning about the importance of covenant and fear of God in Malachi 2.
Nehemiah 13:29: "Remember, my God, which contaminated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites." This verse talks about the contamination of the priesthood and the covenant with God by the priests and Levites of the time. He relates to rebuke to priests who violated the covenant in Malachi 2.
Proverbs 1:7: "The fear of the Lord is the principle of wisdom; the madmen despise wisdom and instruction." This verse talks about the importance of fear of God and how it is the principle of wisdom. He relates to the warning about the importance of covenant and fear of God in Malachi 2.
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