Malachi 1:9

1:9 But now plead for God’s favor ¹  that he might be gracious to us. ²  “With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 2:4

2:4 Then you will know that I sent this commandment to you so that my covenant ³  may continue to be with Levi,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 2:7-8

2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him ⁴  because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all. 2:8 You, however, have turned from the way. You have caused many to violate the law; ⁵  you have corrupted the covenant with Levi,” ⁶  says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 2:12

2:12 May the Lord cut off from the community ⁷  of Jacob every last person who does this, ⁸  as well as the person who presents improper offerings to the Lord who rules over all!

Malachi 2:16

2:16 “I hate divorce,” ⁹  says the Lord God of Israel, “and the one who is guilty of violence,” ¹⁰  says the Lord who rules over all. “Pay attention to your conscience, and do not be unfaithful.”

Malachi 3:7

3:7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored ¹¹  my commandments ¹²  and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. “But you say, ‘How should we return?’

Malachi 3:11

3:11 Then I will stop the plague ¹³  from ruining your crops, ¹⁴  and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 3:14

3:14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped ¹⁵  by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord who rules over all? ¹⁶ 

Malachi 4:3

4:3 You will trample on the wicked, for they will be like ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the Lord who rules over all.

¹ tn Heb “seek the face of God.”

² tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunction indicates purpose (cf. NASB, NRSV).

³ sn My covenant refers to the priestly covenant through Aaron and his grandson Phinehas (see Exod 6:16-20; Num 25:10-13; Jer 33:21-22). The point here is to contrast the priestly ideal with the disgraceful manner in which it was being carried out in postexilic times.

⁵ tn Heb “from his mouth” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).

⁷ tn The definite article embedded within בַּתּוֹרָה (battorah) may suggest that the Torah is in mind and not just “ordinary” priestly instruction, though it might refer to the instruction previously mentioned (v. 7).

⁸ tn Or “the Levitical covenant.”

⁹ tn Heb “tents,” used figuratively for the community here (cf. NCV, TEV); NLT “the nation of Israel.”

¹⁰ tc Heb “every man who does this, him who is awake and him who answers.” For “answers” the LXX suggests an underlying Hebrew text of עָנָה (’anah, “to be humbled”), and then the whole phrase is modified slightly: “until he is humbled.” This requires also that the MT עֵר (’er, “awake”) be read as עֵד (’ed, “until”; here the LXX reads ἕως, Jews). The reading of the LXX is most likely an alteration to correct what is arguably a difficult text.

¹¹ tc The verb שָׂנֵא (sane’) appears to be a third person form, “he hates,” which makes little sense in the context, unless one emends the following word to a third person verb as well. Then one might translate, “he [who] hates [his wife] [and] divorces her…is guilty of violence.” A similar translation is advocated by M. A. Shields, “Syncretism and Divorce in Malachi 2,10-16,” ZAW 111 (1999): 81-85. However, it is possible that the first person pronoun אָנֹכִי (’anokhi, “I”) has accidentally dropped from the text after כִּי (ki). If one restores the pronoun, the form שָׂנֵא can be taken as a participle and the text translated, “for I hate” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

¹² tn Heb “him who covers his garment with violence” (similar ASV, NRSV). Here “garment” is a metaphor for appearance and “violence” a metonymy of effect for cause. God views divorce as an act of violence against the victim.

¹³ tn Heb “turned aside from.”

¹⁴ tn Or “statutes” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “decrees”; NLT “laws.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “the eater” (אֹכֵל, ’okhel), a general term for any kind of threat to crops and livelihood. This is understood as a reference to a locust plague by a number of English versions: NAB, NRSV “the locust”; NIV “pests”; NCV, TEV “insects.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “and I will rebuke for you the eater and it will not ruin for you the fruit of the ground.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “What [is the] profit”; NIV “What did we gain.”

¹⁸ sn The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical.