Malachi Chapter 2
2:1 And now your strength the command of these priests.
2:2 If not you hear it and if not you strongly press it upon heart [and/or thoughts or mind] to strongly secure honor to my name, said Yahuwah of armies, and I send in you all, the curse and I did cause your blessings. Surely I caused her. Because not you pursue unto your thoughts my substance. [1]
2:3 Rebuke to you targeting the seed and spreading dung upon your faces. Dung is your feasts and burdened your mark of its strength.[2]
2:4 And you did know because I did send your strength targeting [regarding] these commands that are to exist as my covenant targeting (for) Levi (the father of the Levites), said Yahuwah of host.
2:5 My covenant exists with you targeting him (Levi, the father of the Levites) the life and the wholeness and their mark to him fear and he feared and from face my name we will break him.
2:6 Law of truth exists with you in his mouth and wickedness not we find in his lips. In wholeness and in straightness the walk of my mark and many turn from their guilt.
2:7 Because my lips, priest he is his guard of knowledge and law. He seeks him from his mouth because he is a messenger of Yahuwah of hosts.
2:8 And you, your ruler is from the way of ruin of you all, masters in law – their corrupt covenant of the Levites, said Yahuwah of hosts.[3]
2:9 And also we strongly secured your mark. We are spoiling and lowering to all the people’s hands who are without guards targeting my ways and lifting their faces in law.
2:10 Is not Father one to all us? Is not God one filling us? Why we deceive man his brother, to pierce covenant of our fathers?
2:11 Deceptive Judah and disgusting our workings in Israel and in Jerusalem because Judah pierced holiness of Yahuwah who loves and married daughter of strange god.[4]
2:12 He will cut, Yahuwah, to man who does darkness and answers from the tents of Jacob and wash away from gifts to Yahuwah of hosts.
2:13 And these two you do he: Deceptive tears targeting the altar of Yahuwah. Tears and crying from without witness faces to the gift [ in other words, when no one is looking] and receive will from your hand [in other words, and taking what you will with your own hand].
2:14 And you all say, “Upon what?” Upon because Yahuwah the witness of your understanding and understanding of wife of your youth whom you deceived in her and she your companion and the wife of your covenant.[5]
2:15 And are not one work and remnant spirit to he? And what the one from seeking seed of God and we guard you did in your spirit and in wife of your youth to he deceived?
2:16 Because hate projects, says Yahuwah God of Israel. And cup violence work garment, says Yahuwah of hosts. And we guard you in your spirit and not you deceive.
2:17 You did weary Yahuwah in your words and you did say, “In what did we weary?” In your saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of Yahuwah. And in them he delights.” Or “Where’s God of the Judgment?”[6]
[1] These last two words “my substance” are traditionally part of verse 3 of the text.
[2] This is God’s instructions to the priests to rebuke the seed targeting people, Edom. It goes on to say that their feasts are like dung on the face of Israel and Israel’s mark is burdened of its power.
[4] Verse 11: This points to Israel being misled by a nation that serves a god other than Yahuwah. I think this becomes clearer in next chapters when other nations are called the mother and father and sisters of Israel.
[5] They [Judah and Jerusalem] are taking what they want with no respect or regard for God’s will when they think no one is looking. They ask, when did we do such a thing? He says, when I was the witness of your understanding and the understanding of the wife of your youth whom you deceived although she was your companion, the wife given to you in covenant.
[6] This could be interpreted “If so, where is God’s Judgement?”