Malachi complaineth. whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. MALACHI, II. 2 from upon, or, upon. d Lu.6.36. 5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from 2 the border of Israel. 6 A son honoureth his father, e ch.3.7,8,13. and a servant his master: if d then 3 or, bring I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein e have we despised thy name? 7 Ye 3 offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The f table of the LORD is contemptible. unto. f 1Co. 10.21. Le.22.20-22. De. 15.21. 4 to. 5 the face of 6 God. from your hand. h Ro.2.11. 1 Pe. 1.17. i 1Co.9.13. k Is.59.19. Is.60.3,5. m Jno.4.21, He reproveth the priests. 2 If a ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and 2 spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts, and 3 one shall take you away with it. 4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 5 My covenant b was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, c and did turn 8 And if g ye 'offer the blind for 4 10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? i neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles: 7 and in every m place incense n shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: o for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, evin his meat, is contemptible. 13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! 7 and ve have suuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. 14 But cursed be the deceiver, 8 which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the LORD a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, n Re.8.3. 23. 7 or, whereas ye might have blown 13. 7 For d the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the e messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8 But ye are departed out of the way; yef have caused many to 4 stumble at the law; ye have corrupted g the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have 5 been partial in the law. 10 Have h we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 T Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is comnitted in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he 6 loved,i and hath married the daughter of a strange god. the 12 The LORD will cut off man that doeth this, 7 the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts. 13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he re and my name is dreadful among or, him that gardeth not the offering any more, the heathen. CHAPTER II. Malachi sharply reproveth the priests and the people for their sins. AND now, Ove priests, this com- Ps.78.34-37. between thee and the wife of thy mandment is for you. youth, against whom thou hast Of the grace of Christ. Blessing promised. hosts. But k ye said, Wherein shall we return? MALACHI, III, IV. dealt treacherously: yet is she thy B. C. 397. companion, and the wife of thy Covenant. m Mat. 19.4.5. 8 or, excel- 9 seed of God. 15 And did not he make one? m Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. n Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal 10 treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For o the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that 11 he hateth 12 putting away for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. 17 Ye have wearied p the LORD 12 to put with your words: yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? CHAPTER III. 1 Of the messenger, majesty, and grace of Christ. 7 Of the rebellion, sacrilege, and infidelity of the people. BEHOLD, Ia will send my mes 11 or, if he away. (CHAP. 3.) c Mat.25.10. d 1Co.3.13. 1 or, ancient. senger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, e 1Pe.2.5. whom ye seek, shall suddenly come b to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye f He.13.4. delight in behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who c shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's d fire, and like fullers' soap: 2 or, defraud. g Ja.5.4. La.3.22. i Zec. 1.3. 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee! In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and 3 pour you out a blessing, that m there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not 4 destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. 13 Your words n have been stout against me, saith the LORD; yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? 14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his 5 ordinance, and that we have walked 6 mournfully before the LORD of hosts? 15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickPs.78.38,57. edness are 7 set up; yea, they that tempt o God are even delivered. 16 T Then they that feared the LORD spake p often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book g of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall k Mat.23.27. purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they 1 Ne. 13.10-12. may offer e unto the LORD an offer-3 empty out. ing in righteousness. m 2Ch.31.10. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the 4 corrupt. 17 And they shall be mine,r saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when LORD, as in the days of old, and as n Ps.73.11,12. I make up my 8 jewels; s and I will in 1 former years. Zep. 1. 12. 5 observation. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, f and against o Ps.95.9. false swearers, and against those that 2 oppress the hireling g in his P Ep.5.19. wages, the widow, and the father- 9 Re.20.12. less, and that turn aside the stran-r Tit.2.14. ger from his right, and fear not me, 1 Pe.2.9. saith the LORD of hosts. s or, special treasure. 6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore hye sons of Jacob are not consumed. s Is.62.3. t Ps.58.11. (CHAP. 4.) 7 Even from the days of your The kingdom of Israel overthrown by the Assyrians. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against Samaria in the sixth year of the reign of Hosea, (B. C. 724,) and after a siege of three years took the city, carried Israel away into Assyria, and having removed them to the cities of Halah and Habor, by the river Gozan, and into the cities of the Medes, he placed Assyrians in the cities of Samaria in their room. |