eng_aiv Amundson Interpretive Version Malachi Malachi Malachi Mal Malachi id=eng_aiv name=Amundson Interpretive Version (AIV) status=draft spec=USFM-USX 3.1.1 export=2026-11-02 char:add=translator-addition-italic char:wj=words-of-Jesus-as-received-unmapped note:f=footnotes para:r=parallel-passage-references para:d=psalm-superscriptions Yahweh’s Love for Israel (Genesis 25:19–28; Romans 9:6–29) The burden of the word of YHWH to Israel by the hand of Malachi:1.1 Malachi means My messenger. “I have loved you⁺,” says YHWH. And you⁺ say, “In what way have You loved us?” “Was not Esau a brother to Jacob?” An utterance of YHWH. “And I have loved Jacob, and Esau I have hated, and I set his mountains as a desolation and his inheritance for the jackals of the desert.1.3 Cited in Romans 9:13” 1.3 Or to the serpents of the wilderness or to the dragons of the wilderness If Edom should say, “We have been beaten down, and we will return and will build the ruins,” thus says YHWH of Hosts: “They may build, and I, I will tear down; and they will call to them the Territory of Wickedness, The people with whom YHWH will be angry even to forever. And your⁺ eyes will see, and you⁺ will say, ‘Great is YHWH from beyond the border of Israel!’” The Polluted Offerings “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. And if I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am the Master, where is the fear due Me?” Says YHWH of Hosts to you⁺, O priests despising My name. “And you⁺ say, ‘In what have we despised Your name?’ By bringing near upon My altar food that is defiled. And you⁺ say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?1.7 LXX defiled it’ By your⁺ saying that the table of YHWH, it is despised! For when you⁺ offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you⁺ offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or would he lift up your face?” Says YHWH of Hosts. “And now, beseech, please, the face of God, and He will be gracious to us. From your⁺ hand this has come; will he lift up your⁺ faces?” Says YHWH of Hosts. “Who even among you⁺ will shut the doors, so that you⁺ could not kindle fire on My altar in vain? There is not for Me delight in you⁺,” says YHWH of Hosts, “And an offering I will not accept from your⁺ hand! For from the rising of the sun to its going down, great is My name among the nations; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering. Indeed, My name will be great among the nations.” Says YHWH of Hosts. “And you⁺ profane it by your⁺ saying, The table of the Lord, it is defiled,’ and of its fruit, ‘Its food is contemptible’ and You⁺ also say, ‘Behold, a weariness,’ and you⁺ sneer at it,” says YHWH of Hosts, “And you⁺ bring the stolen, and the lame, and the sick, and you⁺ bring the offering! Should I accept this from your⁺ hands?” Says YHWH. “And cursed is the one plotting, and a male is in his flock, and vowing it and sacrificing what is blemished to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says YHWH of Hosts, “And My name is feared among the nations. A Warning to the Priests “ And now, to you⁺ is this commandment, O priests: If you⁺ do not listen and if you⁺ do not set it upon the heart to give glory to My name,” says YHWH of Hosts, “Then I will send upon you⁺ the curse, and I will curse your⁺ blessings; indeed already I have cursed them, because there is none of you⁺ setting it upon the heart. Behold, I am giving a rebuke to your⁺ seed,2.3 Or I am blighting your grain and I will spread dung on your⁺ faces, the dung from your⁺ feasts, and it will carry you⁺ off with it. And you⁺ will know that I have sent to you⁺ this commandment, in order to continue My covenant with Levi,” says YHWH of Hosts. “My covenant was with him—life and peace—and I gave them to him; fear, and he feared Me, and before My name he was in awe. The law of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips; in peace and in uprightness He walked with Me, and many did he turn away from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and instruction they should seek from his mouth, for he is the messenger of YHWH of Hosts. And you⁺ have turned aside from the way, you⁺ have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you⁺ have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says YHWH of Hosts. “And also I have made you⁺ despised and low before all the people, according to the measure by which you⁺ were not keeping guard of My ways, and were lifting faces regarding the instruction.” Judah’s Unfaithfulness Is there not for all of us one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we act treacherously, a man against his brother, to profane the covenant of our fathers? Judah has acted treacherously, and an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of YHWH, which He loves, and he has married the daughter of a foreign god. May YHWH cut off the man who does this, the one being awake and the one answering from the tents of Jacob, and the one drawing near with an offering to YHWH of Hosts. And this is the second thing you⁺ do: You cover with tears the altar of YHWH, with weeping and groaning, because there is not anymore turning to the offering or receiving it with acceptance from your⁺ hand. And you⁺ say, “For what?” Because that YHWH is a witness between you and between the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously, and she is your companion and the wife of your covenant. And did He not make them one, and a remnant of the Spirit unto him? And what is the one? He was seeking seed of God. Therefore keep guard over your⁺ spirit, and do not deal treacherously with the wife of your youth. “For He hates sending away,” says YHWH the God of Israel, “And he who has covered violence with his garment.”2.16 Or “For I hate divorce,” says YHWH the God of Israel. “And he who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” Says YHWH of Hosts. You⁺ must keep guard over your⁺ spirit and not act treacherously. You⁺ have wearied YHWH with your⁺ words. And you⁺ say, “In what way have we wearied Him?” By your⁺ saying, “Everyone doing evil is good in the eyes of YHWH, and in them He delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?” I Will Send My Messenger (Matthew 11:7–19; Luke 7:24–35) “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will prepare the way before My face.3.1 Cited in Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, and Luke 7:27 And suddenly he will come to His temple—the Lord whom you⁺ are seeking, the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you⁺ delight. Behold, He is coming,” says YHWH of Hosts. And who will be enduring the day of His coming? And who will be standing during His appearing? For He is like the fire of a refiner, and like the soap of those laundering. And He will sit as One refining and purifying silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi, and He will refine them like gold and silver, and they will be unto YHWH ones bringing forward an offering in righteousness. And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to YHWH, as in the days of old, and as in years former. “And I will come near to you⁺ for the judgment, and I will be a witness making haste against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those swearing to a lie, and against those oppressing the wage of the hireling, the widow and the fatherless, and against those stretching away a sojourner, and not they do fear me,” says YHWH of Hosts. Robbing God “For I, YHWH, do not change; and you⁺, sons of Jacob, have not been consumed. From the days of your⁺ fathers, you⁺ have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you⁺,” says YHWH of Hosts. “And you⁺ say, ‘In what way can we return?’ Will a man rob God? Yet you⁺ have robbed Me. And you⁺ say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In the tithe and the contribution. With a curse you⁺ are cursed, and you⁺ are robbing Me—the nation—all of it. Bring all the tithe into the house of treasure, that there may be food in My house. And test Me now in this,” says YHWH of Hosts, “If I will not open for you⁺ the windows of the heavens and pour out for you⁺ blessing until there is no space! And I will rebuke for you⁺ the devourer,3.11 The devourer is probably a name for a crop-destroying pest. and it will not destroy for you⁺ the fruit of the ground, and the vine in the field will not be barren for you⁺,” says YHWH of Hosts. “And all the nations will call you⁺ blessed, for you⁺ will be a land of delight,” says YHWH of Hosts. The Book of Remembrance “Your⁺ words have been strong against Me,” says YHWH. “And you⁺ say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You⁺ have said, ‘To serve God is futile! What gain is that we have kept His charge, that we have walked as mourners before the face of YHWH of Hosts? And now we call blessed the arrogant. Also are raised up those doing wickedness; they even test God and escape.’” Then those who feared YHWH spoke, each man with his neighbor. And YHWH listened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those fearing YHWH, and for those esteeming His name. “And they will be unto Me,” says YHWH of Hosts, “On the day when I am making a treasured possession; and I will have compassion on them, as when a man has compassion on his son, the one serving him. And you⁺ will return and see between the righteous one the wicked one, between the one serving God and between the one who does not serve Him.” The Day of Yahweh (Zephaniah 1:7–18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; 2 Peter 3:8–13) “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the proud and all those doing wickedness will be as stubble; and the day that is coming will burn them up,” says YHWH of Hosts, “So that it will not leave for them a root or branch!” “And for you⁺ who fear My name the sun of righteousness will arise, with healing in its wings.4.2 Or the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings And you⁺ will go forth, and you⁺ will leap like calves from the stall. And you⁺ will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your⁺ feet, on the day that I am preparing,” says YHWH of Hosts. “Remember the Law of Moses My servant that I commanded him on Horeb4.4 That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai for all Israel—the statutes and ordinances. Behold, I am sending to you⁺ Elijah the prophet, before the face of the coming of the day of YHWH great and awesome. 4.5 Or dreadful; LXX glorious And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers,4.6 Cited in Luke 1:17 lest I come and strike the land with a curse.”