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God’s Love for Jacob
1 The [a](A)oracle of the word of the Lord to (B)Israel through [b]Malachi.
2 “I have (C)loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I (D)have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have (E)made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been (F)beaten down, but we will [c](G)return and build up the ruins”; thus says the Lord of hosts, “They may (H)build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the [d]wicked territory, and the people [e]toward whom the Lord is indignant (I)forever.” 5 Your eyes will see this and you will say, “(J)The Lord [f]be magnified beyond the [g]border of Israel!”
Sin of the Priests
6 “‘A son (K)honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a (L)father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My [h]respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O (M)priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 You are presenting (N)defiled [i](O)food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The (P)table of the Lord is to be despised.’ 8 But when you present the (Q)blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? [j]Why not offer it to your (R)governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 9 “But now [k]will you not (S)entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? [l]With such an offering on your part, will He (T)receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 10 “Oh that there were one among you who would (U)shut the [m]gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of hosts, “(V)nor will I accept an offering from [n]you. 11 For from the (W)rising of the sun even to its setting, (X)My name will be (Y)great among the nations, and in every place (Z)incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be (AA)great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “But you are (AB)profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ 13 You also say, ‘[o]My, how (AC)tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by (AD)robbery and what is (AE)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I (AF)receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. 14 “But cursed be the (AG)swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a (AH)blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great (AI)King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is [p](AJ)feared among the [q]nations.”
Priests to Be Disciplined
2 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. 2 If you do (AK)not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the (AL)curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have (AM)cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3 Behold, I am going to (AN)rebuke your [r]offspring, and I will (AO)spread [s]refuse on your faces, the [t]refuse of your (AP)feasts; and you will be taken away [u]with it. 4 Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, [v]that My (AQ)covenant may [w]continue with Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and (AR)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of [x]reverence; so he [y](AS)revered Me and stood in awe of My name. 6 [z](AT)True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked (AU)with Me in peace and uprightness, and he (AV)turned many back from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should preserve (AW)knowledge, and [aa]men should (AX)seek [ab]instruction from his mouth; for he is the (AY)messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to (AZ)stumble [ac]by the instruction; you have [ad](BA)corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. 9 “So (BB)I also have made you despised and (BC)abased [ae]before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing (BD)partiality in the [af]instruction.
Sin in the Family
10 “Do we not all have (BE)one father? (BF)Has not one God created us? Why do we deal (BG)treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the (BH)covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has dealt (BI)treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has (BJ)profaned the sanctuary of the Lord [ag]which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the (BK)Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who (BL)presents [ah]an offering to the Lord of hosts.
13 “This is [ai]another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He (BM)no longer regards the [aj]offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the (BN)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt (BO)treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 [ak]But not one has (BP)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And [al]what did that one do while he was seeking a (BQ)godly [am]offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal (BR)treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 For [an]I hate [ao](BS)divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and [ap]him who covers his garment with [aq](BT)wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”
17 You have (BU)wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “(BV)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He (BW)delights in them,” or, “(BX)Where is the God of (BY)justice?”
The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw (A)a new heaven and a new earth; for (B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw (C)the holy city, (D)new Jerusalem, (E)coming down out of heaven from God, (F)made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, (G)the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [a](H)dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them[b], 4 and He will (I)wipe away every tear from their eyes; and (J)there will no longer be any death; (K)there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; (L)the first things have passed away.”
5 And (M)He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am (N)making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for (O)these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “[c](P)It is done. I am the (Q)Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (R)I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the (S)water of life without cost. 7 (T)He who overcomes will inherit these things, and (U)I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 (V)But for the cowardly and [d]unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in (W)the lake that burns with fire and [e]brimstone, which is the (X)second death.”
9 (Y)Then one of the seven angels who had the (Z)seven bowls [f]full of the (AA)seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “(AB)Come here, I will show you the (AC)bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
The New Jerusalem
10 And (AD)he carried me away [g](AE)in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me (AF)the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having (AG)the glory of God. Her [h]brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a (AH)stone of (AI)crystal-clear jasper. 12 [i]It had a great and high wall, [j](AJ)with twelve (AK)gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 14 And the wall of the city had (AL)twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the (AM)twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The one who spoke with me had a [k]gold measuring (AN)rod to measure the city, and its (AO)gates and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the [l]rod, [m]fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, [n]seventy-two yards, according to (AP)human [o]measurements, which are also (AQ)angelic measurements. 18 The material of the wall was (AR)jasper; and the city was (AS)pure gold, like [p]clear (AT)glass. 19 (AU)The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was (AV)jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, (AW)emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, (AX)sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve (AY)gates were twelve (AZ)pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was (BA)pure gold, like transparent (BB)glass.
22 I saw (BC)no [q]temple in it, for the (BD)Lord God the Almighty and the (BE)Lamb are its [r]temple. 23 And the city (BF)has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for (BG)the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the (BH)Lamb. 24 (BI)The nations will walk by its light, and the (BJ)kings of the earth [s]will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for (BK)there will be no night there) (BL)its gates (BM)will never be closed; 26 and (BN)they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and (BO)nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those [t]whose names are (BP)written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.
149 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a (A)new song,
And His praise (B)in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in (C)his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their (D)King.
3 Let them praise His name with (E)dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with (F)timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord (G)takes pleasure in His people;
He will (H)beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
5 Let the (I)godly ones exult in glory;
Let them (J)sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the (K)high praises of God be in their [c]mouth,
And a (L)two-edged (M)sword in their hand,
7 To (N)execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings (O)with chains
And their (P)nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To (Q)execute on them the judgment written;
This is an (R)honor for all His godly ones.
[d]Praise [e]the Lord!
Description of a Worthy Woman
10 An (A)excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far (B)above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her [a]hands [b]in delight.
14 She is like (C)merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
15 She (D)rises also while it is still night
And (E)gives food to her household
And [c]portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [d]her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She (F)girds [e]herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her [f]hands grasp the spindle.
20 She [g](G)extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are (H)clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes (I)coverings for herself;
Her clothing is (J)fine linen and (K)purple.
23 Her husband is known (L)in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes (M)linen garments and sells them,
And [h]supplies belts to the [i]tradesmen.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.