Malachi 2

YLT

2 And now, to you [is] this charge, O priests,

^2 ^If ye hearken not, and if ye lay [it] not to heart, To give honour to My name, said Jehovah of Hosts, I have sent against you the curse, And I have cursed your blessings, Yea, I have also cursed it, Because ye are not laying [it] to heart.

^3 ^Lo, I am pushing away before you the seed, And have scattered dung before your faces, Dung of your festivals, And it hath taken you away with it.

^4 ^And ye have known that I have sent unto you this charge, For My covenant being with Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

^5 ^My covenant hath been with him of life and of peace, And I make them to him a fear, and he doth fear Me, And because of My name he hath been affrighted.

^6 ^The law of truth hath been in his mouth, And perverseness hath not been found in his lips, In peace and in uprightness he walked with Me, And many he brought back from iniquity.

^7 ^For the lips of a priest preserve knowledge, And law they do seek from his mouth, For a messenger of Jehovah of Hosts he [is]. [the law]

7“For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and they seek the Torah from his mouth, for he is the messenger of יהוה of hosts.

^8 ^And ye, ye have turned from the way, Ye have caused many to stumble in the law, Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

8“But you, you have turned from the way, you have caused many to stumble in the Torah. You have corrupted the covenant of Lĕwi,” said יהוה of hosts.

^9 ^And I also, I have made you despised and low before all the people, Because ye are not keeping My ways, And are accepting persons in the law.

9“And I also, I shall make you despised and low before all the people, because you are not guarding My ways, and are showing partiality in the Torah.”

^10 ^Have we not all one father? Hath not our God prepared us? Wherefore do we deal treacherously, Each against his brother, To pollute the covenant of our fathers?

^11 ^Dealt treacherously hath Judah, And abomination hath been done in Israel, and in Jerusalem, For polluted hath Judah the holy thing of Jehovah, That He hath loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

^12 ^Cut off doth Jehovah the man who doth it, Tempter and tempted -- from the tents of Jacob, Even he who is bringing nigh a present to Jehovah of Hosts.

^13 ^And this a second time ye do, Covering with tears the altar of Jehovah, With weeping and groaning, Because there is no more turning unto the present, Or receiving of a pleasing thing from your hand.

^14 ^And ye have said, `Wherefore?' Because Jehovah hath testified between thee And the wife of thy youth, That thou hast dealt treacherously against her, And she thy companion, and thy covenant-wife.

^15 ^And He did not make one [only], And He hath the remnant of the Spirit. And what [is] the one [alone]! He is seeking a godly seed. And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And with the wife of thy youth, None doth deal treacherously. //Matthew 5//

^16 ^For [I] hate sending away, said Jehovah, God of Israel, And He [who] hath covered violence with his clothing, said Jehovah of Hosts, And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And ye do not deal treacherously.

^17 ^Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words, And ye have said: In what have we wearied Him?' In your saying: Every evil-doer [is] good in the eyes of Jehovah, And in them He is delighting,' Or, `Where [is] the God of judgment?'

TLV

“So now, kohanim, this commandment is for you.

2 If you will not listen,

and if you will not take to heart to give glory to My Name”

—says Adonai-Tzva’ot—

“then I will send the curse on you,

and I will curse your blessings.

Yes, indeed I have cursed them,

because you did not take it to heart.

3 Behold, I am rebuking the seed on account of you,

and will spread dung on your faces

—the dung of your festivals—

and take you away together with it.

4 Then you will know that I have sent this command to you,

to be My covenant with Levi,”

says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

5 “My covenant was with him for life and shalom,

and I gave them to him for reverence.

So he revered Me, and he was awestruck by My Name.

6 Instruction of truth was in his mouth.

Injustice was not found on his lips.

In shalom and uprightness he walked with Me,

and he turned many from iniquity.

7 For a kohen’s lips should guard knowledge,

and instruction must be sought from his mouth.

For he is a messenger of Adonai-Tzva’ot.

8 But you have turned from the way.

You caused many to stumble in Torah by the instruction,

You corrupted the covenant of the Levites,”

—says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

9 “So I also have made you despised and lowly to all the people,

because you are not keeping My ways but show favoritism in Torah.”

10 Do we not all have one Father?

Has not one God created us?

Why do we deal treacherously

—a man against his brother—

defiling the covenant of our fathers?

11 Judah has dealt treacherously,

an abomination done in Israel, even in Jerusalem!

For Judah has defiled Adonai’s Sanctuary,

    which He loves,

and married the daughter of a foreign god.

12 Adonai will cut off the man who does this,

until he is cast from the tents of Jacob,

and from offering a gift to Adonai-Tzva’ot.

Covenant With Your Wife

13 Secondly, you do this:

Tears cover the altar of Adonai—

you are weeping and groaning

because He no longer accepts the offering

or receives it favorably from your hand.

14 Yet you say, “Why?”

Because Adonai bears witness

    between you and the wife of your youth,
    whom you have treated deceitfully.

Yet she had been your companion

    and your wife by covenant.

15 Did the One not make her with a remnant of Ruach?

Then what is the One seeking?

Offspring of God!

So protect your spirit—

do not betray the wife of your youth.

16 “For I hate[a] divorce,”

—says Adonai the God of Israel—

“and the one who covers his garment with injustice,”

says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

So protect your spirit—do not act treacherously.

17 You wearied Adonai with your words.

Yet you say: “How did we weary Him?”

When you say: “Everyone doing evil is good in the sight of Adonai, and He delights in them.” Or, “Where is the God of justice?”

Footnotes

Malachi 2:16 Lit. He hates.

OJB

And now, O ye kohanim, this mitzvah is for you.

2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not take it to lev, to give kavod unto My name, saith Hashem Tzva’os, I will even send a me’erah (curse) upon you, and I will curse your brakhot; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not take it to lev.

3 Hineni, I am rebuking your zera, and I will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your chagim; and it will take you away with it.

4 And ye shall have da’as that I have sent this mitzvah unto you, that My brit might continue with Levi, saith Hashem Tzva’os.

5 My brit was with him of chayyim and shalom; and I gave them to him that he might fear Me; so he feared Me, and stood in reverence before My name.

6 Torat emes was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips: he walked with Me in shalom and yashrus, and did turn rabbim (many) away from avon (iniquity).

7 For the kohen’s lips should preserve da’as, and they should seek torah at his mouth: for he is the malach Hashem Tzva’os.

8 But ye are departed out of HaDerech; ye have caused rabbim to fall into a michshol (stumbling block) at the torah (teaching); ye have corrupted the Brit of Levi saith Hashem Tzva’os.

9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and shefalim before kol HaAm because ye have not been shomrim of darkhei of Me, but have shown partiality in torah.

10 Have we not all Av Echad? Hath not El Echad created us? Why do we commit chillul Brit Avoteinu by every man breaking faith with his brother?

11 Yehudah hath broken faith, and a toeva (abomination) is committed in Yisroel and in Yerushalayim; for Yehudah hath committed chillul against the Beis Hamikdash Hashem loves, by marrying the bat el nekhar.

12 May Hashem cut off the man that doeth this, [offspring] awake and answering, from the ohalim of Ya’akov, that offereth a minchah unto Hashem Tzva’os.

13 And this too have ye done, covering the mizbe’ach of Hashem with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, because that He regardeth not the minchah any more, nor receiveth it with ratzon (good will) at your hand.

14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Hashem hath been ed (witness) between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, breaking faith: yet is she thy chaveret, and the wife of thy brit.

15 And did not Hashem make echad? And the remnant of the ruach is Hashem’s. And why echad? That He might seek zera Elohim. Therefore be shomer of your ruach, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For Hashem Elohei Yisroel saith that He hateth putting away: for it covereth one’s garment with chamas (violence), saith the Hashem Tzva’os: therefore, be shomer of your ruach, that ye deal not treacherously, breaking faith.

17 Ye have wearied Hashem with your devarim. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Everyone that doeth rah is tov in the sight of Hashem, and in them Hashem finds chafetz; or, Where is Elohei HaMishpat?