Shortly after Haggai and Zechariah, this prophet intervenes to correct several evil customs within the community. Through Malachi, the Lord argues with those who call him to account, but who do not acknowledge his love.

1 An oracle. These are the words that Yahweh directed to Israel through Malachi.

2 When Yahweh says, “I love you,” you reply, “How do you show that love?” So Yahweh asks you,

3 “Was Esau not Ja cob’s brother? Yet I loved Jacob and hated Esau. See how I left his mountains desolate and abandoned his land to the jackals of the desert.

4 If Edom decides to rebuild its ruins, after having been de stroyed, Yahweh of hosts says: They may rebuild, but I will demolish. You will call them: ‘Accursed country’ and ‘Nation with which Yahweh is for ever displeased.’

5 You will see this with your own eyes, then you will exclaim: The power of Yah weh goes beyond the borders of Israel.”


Where is your respect for me?

6 The son honors his father, the ser vant respects his master. Now if I am a father, where is the honor due to me? If I am your master, where is your re spect for me? This is what Yahweh of hosts wants you to know, priests who despise his name. But you will only ask: How have we despised your name?

7 You present defiled foods on my altar, yet you say: How did we defile you? You think that my table does not deserve respect.

8 When you bring a blind animal as a sacrifice, or when you present one that is lame or sick, are you not doing wrong? Go, present these to the governor; will he be pleased and receive you well?” says Yahweh of hosts.

9 So now, ask God that he may have mercy on us. But if it goes badly for us because of your sin, are you those who should entreat him?

10 Who among you would close my doors that you may no longer come to kindle fire upon my altar in vain? I am not pleased with you, says Yah weh of hosts, nor am I pleased with your offerings.

11 See, from the rising of the sun to its setting, all the nations revere my Name and every where incense is offered to my Name as well as a pure offering. I am rightly esteemed among the nations, says Yahweh of hosts.

12 But you despise my Name when you say: “The Lord’s table is dirty and his food is good for nothing.”

13 When you complain that you do not like this food you despise me, says Yahweh. You bring a stolen ani mal, lame or diseased, to offer to me in sacrifice. Do you think that I will accept it?

14 Cursed be the cheater who, after promising me a bull from his herd, sacrifices a stunted animal. For I am a great King and my Name is respected through all the nations, says Yahweh of hosts.

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Comments Malachi, Chapter 1

• 1.6 The sin of those who offer their surplus to God. From the rising of the sun… Malachi observes that if the Jews are God’s people, they cannot avoid doing what other people do, who in their own way worship God sincerely even though they do not know his revelation.

– The sin of the priests who do not know how to teach the Law which is their responsibility. If they do not com mit themselves to educating the people of God about their obliga tions, God will not allow them to con tinue their external rituals.

– The sin of those who dismiss their wives. The Law and customs allowed divorce with specific guarantees for the wife. Malachi says what Jesus will teach with full authority in Matthew 19:1: the will of God regarding marriage is that the two remain together as one. The one who betrays his wife cannot en counter God.

Warnings for the priests

1 This warning is also for you, priests. If you do not listen to it

2 or concern yourself to glorify my Name, says Yahweh of hosts, I will send the curse on you and curse even your blessings.

3 I will curse you for none of you takes his ministry seriously. Right now, I am going to break your arm, throw dung in your face, the very dung of your animals, and sweep you away with them.

4 And you will realize that it was I who threatened to put an end to my covenant with Levi, your ancestor, says Yahweh.

5 My covenant with him spoke of life and peace, and I gave him these; it also spoke of re spect and he respected me and reverenced my Name.

6 His mouth taught the true doctrine and nothing evil came from his lips; he walked in ac cord with me, being peaceful and upright, and brought back many people from their wicked ness.

7 The lips of the priest speak of knowl edge, and the Law must be found in his mouth, since he is the messenger of Yahweh of hosts.

8 But you, says Yahweh of hosts, have strayed from my way, and moreover caused many to stumble because of your teaching. You have broken my covenant with Levi.

9 Therefore I let all the people despise you and consider you unworthy, because you do not follow my ways and you show partiality in your judgments.

10 Do we not all have the same father? Has the same God not created all of us? Why, then, does each of us betray his brother, defiling the Covenant of our an cestors?

11 Judah has been unfaithful, a grave sin has been committed in Is rael and Jerusalem: the people of Judah have de filed the sacred inheritance of Yahweh by loving and marry ing the daughters of a foreign god.

12 Let whoever does this be cut off from the homeland of Jacob and let there be no one to defend him in the tribunal or present an offering for him to Yahweh.


Respect for marriage

13 You also commit another of fense. As Yahweh refuses to look at your offerings and does not take them into account, you come weeping and wailing and cover the altar with tears.

14 And then you ask: “Why?”  It is because Yahweh has seen how you dealt with your first wife, the wife of your youth. You betrayed her al though she was your companion with whom you made a covenant.

15 Has God not made a single being and given him breath? And what does he seek but a family given by God? Do not betray, then, the wife of your youth.

16 I hate divorce, says Yahweh, the God of Israel, and those who are actually covering their violence. Be very careful, and do not betray.

17 You annoy Yahweh with your discourses and you dare say: “How did we annoy him?” You annoy him whenever you say that Yahweh looks favorably on those who do evil, and lets everything go well with them, or when you ask: “Where is the God who does justice?”

I send my messenger to prepare the way

1 Now I am sending my mes senger ahead of me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says Yah weh of hosts.

2 Who can bear the day of his coming and remain standing when he appears? For he will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

3 He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So Yahweh will have priests who will present the offering as it should be.

4 Then Yahweh will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

5 When I came to you to do justice I shall demand the im mediate punishment of the sorcerers and the adulterers, of those who swear false oaths, who oppress the wage-earner, the widow and the orphan, who do not respect the rights of the foreigner. They do all this and have no fear of me, says Yahweh.

6 I, Yahweh, have not changed in anything; just as you, children of Jacob, are always the same.

7 Since the day of your ancestors you stray from my ordinances and do not practice them. Return to me and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts. But you ask: “Why do we have to return?”

8 Can a man deceive God? Yet you cheat me and moreover ask: “How did we cheat you?” I point out your sacred tributes and the tenth which is due to me.

9 Cursed be you who cheat me! Cursed be all the nation!

10 Turn over into the temple treasury the tenth part of all, that there may be food in my House. Then you may test me says Yahweh of hosts, to see if I will not open the gates of heaven and bring blessed rain to you up to the last drop.

11 I will rebuke the locusts that they may not devour your fields, and let not the vines wither in your land, says Yahweh.

12 Then all the nations will congratulate you because your land will be the choicest.

13 You say very harsh things about me, says Yahweh, and yet you say: “What harsh things did we say against you?”

14 You say: “It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing his commandments or in leading an austere life for his sake. Happy are the shameless!

15 Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they re main unharmed.”

16 Those were the very words of those who fear Yahweh. Yahweh listened and heard what they said. He ordered at once that the names of those who respect him and reverence his Name be written in a record.

17 And he declared, “They will be mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them as a father cares for his obedient son.

18 And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey him.

19 The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day all the proud and evildoers will be burned like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots.

20 On the other hand the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect my Name and bring health in its rays. You will come out leaping like fattened calves.

21 You will trample on the evildoers and they will be like ashes scattered on your way when I do this, says Yahweh.
I will send Elijah soon

22 Remember the law of my servant Moses, the laws and ordinances I gave him at Mount Horeb for the whole of Israel.

23 I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of Yahweh comes, for it will be a great and terrible day.

24 He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come.”

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Comments Malachi, Chapter 3

• 3.1 Now I am sending my messenger. To those complaining that God does not reveal his justice nor reward sufficiently those who serve him, Malachi responds by declaring that the Lord will come soon. He announces the coming of a messenger of God who will be res ponsible for prepar ing the way for him, and that will be the sign of his coming soon.

Paragraphs 3:1-2 and 4:22-24 complement each other, and point to John the Baptist. The Gospel will recall them in Luke 1:17; 7:27; John 3:22. Also see Mark 9:11.

• 6. Then comes the discussion with those expecting material favors as a reward for their devotion; they wish to be rewarded for having done no evil. God agrees to dialogue with such believers, and through Malachi speaks to them in the only language they can understand: if they do good, one day they will see the Sun of justice and will jump around like calves trampling the wicked underfoot.

• 19. Vv. 19-24 in Hebrew manuscript are chapter 4:1-6 in Greek manuscript.