Through the Bible – Day 365

₁I am Malachi. And this is the message that the LORD gave me for Israel.

₂Israel, I, the LORD, have loved you. And yet you ask in what way have I loved you. Don't forget that Esau was the brother of your ancestor Jacob, but I chose Jacob ₃instead of Esau. And I turned Esau's hill country into a barren desert where jackals roam. ₄Esau's descendants may say, “Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild.”

But I, the LORD All-Powerful, promise to tear down whatever they build. Then everyone will know that I will never stop being angry with them as long as they are so sinful.

₅Israel, when you see this, you will shout, “The LORD's great reputation reaches beyond our borders.”

₆I, the LORD All-Powerful, have something to say to you priests. Children respect their fathers, and servants respect their masters. I am your father and your master, so why don't you respect me? You priests have insulted me, and now you ask, “How did we insult you?”

₇You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, “How have we embarrassed you?” You have done it by saying, “What's so great about the LORD's altar?”

₈But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, crippled, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you. ₉I am the LORD God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.

₁₀I wish someone would lock the doors of my temple, so you would stop wasting time building fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you priests, and I refuse to accept any more of your offerings. ₁₁From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth, as they burn incense and offer the proper sacrifices to me. ₁₂But even you priests insult me by saying, “There's nothing special about the LORD's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless.”

₁₃You get so disgusted that you even make vulgar signs at me. And for an offering, you bring stolen animals or those that are crippled or sick. Should I accept these? ₁₄Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the LORD All-Powerful, and I am worshipped by nations everywhere.

₁I, the LORD All-Powerful, have something else to say to you priests. ₂You had better take seriously the need to honour my name. Otherwise, when you give a blessing, I will turn it into a curse. In fact, I have already done this, because you haven't taken to heart your duties as priests. ₃I will punish your descendants and rub your faces in the manure from your animal sacrifices, and then be done with you.

₄I am telling you this, so I can continue to keep my agreement with your ancestor Levi. ₅I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honouring me and respecting my name. ₆He taught the truth and never told lies, and he led a lot of people to turn from sin, because he obeyed me and lived right.

₇You priests should be eager to spread knowledge, and everyone should come to you for instruction, because you speak for me, the LORD All-Powerful. ₈But you have turned your backs on me. Your teachings have led others to do sinful things, and you have broken the agreement I made with your ancestor Levi. ₉So I caused everyone to hate and despise you, because you disobeyed me and failed to treat all people alike.

₁₀Don't you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn't the one God create each of us? Then why do you cheat each other by breaking the agreement God made with your ancestors? ₁₁You people in Judah and Jerusalem have been unfaithful to the LORD. You have disgraced the temple that he loves, and you have committed the disgusting sin of worshipping other gods. ₁₂I pray that the LORD will no longer let those who are guilty belong to his people, even if they eagerly decide to offer the LORD a gift.

₁₃And what else are you doing? You cry noisily and flood the LORD's altar with your tears, because he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them. ₁₄And why isn't God pleased? It's because he knows that each of you men has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. You promised that she would be your partner, but now you have broken that promise. ₁₅Didn't God create you to become like one person with your wife? And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God's people. Don't ever be unfaithful to your wife. ₁₆The LORD God All-Powerful of Israel hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be unfaithful!

₁₇You have worn out the LORD with your words. And yet, you ask, “How did we do that?”

You did it by saying, “The LORD is pleased with evil and doesn't care about justice.”

₂On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him. ₃The LORD will purify the descendants of Levi, as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the LORD, ₄and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.

₅The LORD All-Powerful said:

₁₆All those who truly respected the LORD and honoured his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names written as a reminder in his book.

₁₇Then the LORD All-Powerful said:

₁The day of judgment is certain to come. And it will be like a red-hot furnace with flames that burn up proud and sinful people, as though they were straw. Not a branch or a root will be left. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken! ₂But for you who honour my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play. ₃When I come to bring justice, you will trample those who are evil, as though they were ashes under your feet. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!

₄Don't ever forget the laws and teachings I gave my servant Moses on Mount Sinai.

₅I, the LORD, promise to send the prophet Elijah before that great and terrible day comes. ₆He will lead children and parents to love each other more, so that when I come, I won't bring doom to the land.

₁The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated. ₂Then it flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations.

₃God's curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God ₄and will see him face to face. God's name will be written on the foreheads of the people. ₅Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule for ever.

₆Then I was told:

₈My name is John, and I am the one who heard and saw these things. Then after I had heard and seen all this, I knelt down and began to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown it to me.

₉But the angel said,

₁₂Then I was told:

₁₇The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”

Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!”

If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free!

₁₈Here is my warning for everyone who hears the prophecies in this book:

₂₀The one who has spoken these things says, “I am coming soon!”

So, Lord Jesus, please come soon!

₂₁I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to all of you.