Maleakhi 1:6

The Sacrilege of Priestly Service

1:6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects ¹  his master. If I am your ²  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?’

Maleakhi 3:5

3:5 “I ³  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, ⁴  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ⁵  who refuse to help ⁶  the immigrant ⁷  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Maleakhi 3:16

3:16 Then those who respected ⁸  the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. ⁹  A scroll ¹⁰  was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

[1:6]  ¹ 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).

[1:6]  ² tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).

[3:5]  ³ 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).

[3:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

[3:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

[3:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

[3:5]  ⁷ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”

[3:16]  ⁸ tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”

[3:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”

[3:16]  ¹⁰ sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).