Malachi 2:8-9

2:8 You, however, have turned from the way. You have caused many to violate the law; ¹  you have corrupted the covenant with Levi,” ²  says the Lord who rules over all. 2:9 “Therefore, I have caused you to be ignored and belittled before all people to the extent to which you are not following after me and are showing partiality in your ³  instruction.”

Malachi 3:1

3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, ⁴  who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord ⁵  you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger ⁶  of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 3:8

3:8 Can a person rob ⁷  God? You indeed are robbing me, but you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and contributions! ⁸ 

Malachi 1:2

1:2 “I have shown love to you,” says the Lord, but you say, “How have you shown love to us?”

“Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the Lord explains, “yet I chose Jacob

Malachi 1:6

The Sacrilege of Priestly Service

1:6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects ⁹  his master. If I am your ¹⁰  father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord who rules over all asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’

Malachi 2:17

Resistance to the Lord through Self-deceit

2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, ¹¹  and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

Malachi 1:7

1:7 You are offering improper sacrifices on my altar, yet you ask, ‘How have we offended you?’ By treating the table ¹²  of the Lord as if it is of no importance!

Malachi 2:10

The Rebellion of the People

2:10 Do we not all have one father? ¹³  Did not one God create us? Why do we betray one another, in this way making light of the covenant of our ancestors?

Malachi 3:7

3:7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored ¹⁴  my commandments ¹⁵  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 3:5

3:5 “I ¹⁶  will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, ¹⁷  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ¹⁸  who refuse to help ¹⁹  the immigrant ²⁰  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

¹ 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).

² tn Or “the Levitical covenant.”

³ tn Heb “in the instruction” (so NASB). The Hebrew article is used here as a possessive pronoun (cf. NRSV, NLT).

⁵ tn In Hebrew the phrase “my messenger” is מַלְאָכִי (mal’akhi), the same form as the prophet’s name (see note on the name “Malachi” in 1:1). However, here the messenger appears to be an eschatological figure who is about to appear, as the following context suggests. According to 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom the NT identifies as John the Baptist (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2) because he came in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:11-12; Lk 1:17).

⁶ tn Here the Hebrew term הָאָדוֹן (ha’adon) is used, not יְהוָה (yÿhvah, typically rendered Lord). Thus the focus is not on the Lord as the covenant God, but on his role as master.

⁷ sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.

⁷ tc The LXX presupposes an underlying Hebrew text of עָקַב (’aqav, “deceive”), a metathesis of קָבַע (qava’, “rob”), in all four uses of the verb here (vv. 8-9). The intent probably is to soften the impact of “robbing” God, but the language of the passage is intentionally bold and there is no reason to go against the reading of the MT (which is followed here by most English versions).

⁸ sn The tithes and contributions mentioned here are probably those used to sustain the Levites (see Num 18:8, 11, 19, 21-24).

⁹ tn The verb “respects” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. It is understood by ellipsis (see “honors” in the preceding line).

¹⁰ tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).

¹¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

¹³ sn The word table, here a synonym for “altar,” has overtones of covenant imagery in which a feast shared by the covenant partners was an important element (see Exod 24:11). It also draws attention to the analogy of sitting down at a common meal with the governor (v. 8).

¹⁵ sn The rhetorical question Do we not all have one father? by no means teaches the “universal fatherhood of God,” that is, that all people equally are children of God. The reference to the covenant in v. 10 as well as to Israel and Judah (v. 11) makes it clear that the referent of “we” is God’s elect people.

¹⁷ tn Heb “turned aside from.”

¹⁸ tn Or “statutes” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “decrees”; NLT “laws.”

¹⁹ tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the Lord) indicates that the Lord himself now speaks (see also v. 1). The prophet speaks in vv. 2-4 (see also 2:17).

²⁰ tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

²¹ tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

²² tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

²³ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”