1 Dama la Yahwe lakapiwa Malaki kulipa Baiziraela.
Yahwe banoda Iziraela
2 “Ndakamuda misi yose,” koleba Yahwe. Koga imwi mobhuzwa muti, “Makalakidza ngeni kuti motida?” Yahwe bakati, “Apa Esau wakabe asi nkulu wa Jakubo kene? Koga ndakada Jakubo 3 abenga Esau, ndakathama shango iye ye matuthu ikashakadziwa, thaka iye ikabe ye phungubgwe dze tjilambanyika.” 4 Ha Edomu angati, “Nenguba takashakadziwa, towomusa matongo.” Koga Yahwe Masimbawose ibo bakati, “Bangabaka zwabo koga imi ndowokolomodza kuswikila bedang'wa shango mbiimbi, bathu bapasi kwe bushongola gwa Yahwe misi yose.”
5 “Mowokubona nge mesho enyu ikoku mubuya muti, ‘Yahwe bankulu, naiko ne kupinda migathu ye Iziraela.’
6 “Nkololo unoteta tate babe, nlanda kakudza tetshi uwe. Ha ndili tate, lingayi gudzo lakandilingisana? Ha ndili tetshi, kungayi kutetiwa kwakandilingisana? Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. Ndimwi bapirisiti munolengudza zina langu. Koga mobhuzwa muti, ‘Zina lenyu takalilengudza tjini?’ 7 Moyisa zwibhayilo zwakatemapala mu tjibeso tjangu tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. Mube mubhuzwa muti, ‘Takamutemapadza tjini?’ Nge kukumbula kuti tafuli ya Yahwe ingana ikalengudziwa. 8 Apa ate kuli kubiibi ha mudusa zwithuwo zwakapofupala kube zwibhayilo? Ha mudusa zwibhayilo zwe zwithuwo zwina bulema ne zwinogwala, apa ate kuli kubiibi ikoku kene? Tongozwipani mbusi wenyu. Apa ungamushathila kene? Apa ungamuamutjila kene? Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose.
9 “Ndizo ngwenu wali kumbilani Ndzimu utihwile ngoni. Se muna tjipo tjakajali mu maboko enyu, apa ungamuamutjila kene? Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. 10 Ungati mmwe wenyu ungazhalila nkoba we Ng'umba ye Ndzimu kuyita kuti musitongo bhatidza moto usina nshingo mu tjibeso tjangu tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. Akuna tjinondishathisa mu muli, naiko andingaamutjile tjibhayilo tjinodwa kumuli. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. 11 Zina langu lowokudziwa mu njudzi kudwa zhuba libhuda kunoti lingina. Mu magalo mamwe ne mamwe zina langu lowopisigwa motsha ne zwibhayilo zwibuyanana zowozhisigwa zina langu ngoti zina langu lowokudziwa pakati kwe njudzi. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose.
12 “Koga molilengudza ha muti, ‘Tafuli ya Yahwe yakatemapala ne zojiwa zwayo ate zwe tjimwe.’ 13 Moti, ‘Aa, konyadza seni ikoku’ mube mulisinyalalila. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. Mozhisa zwamatolela bamwe nge masimba ne zwithuwo zwakalemala ne zwina bugwele muzwidusa zwibhayilo. Apa ndizwiamutjile mu maboko enyu kene? Koleba Yahwe.
14 “Una bhiso ntjebeli una ithuwo mu zwithuwo zwizwe tjilume tjingaamutjilika ebuya etuna kutjidusa tjibhayilo, koga ebe ezhisa ithuwo tjakalemala kuna She. Kana ndi mambo nkulu, koleba Yahwe Masimbawose unolaula kose, zina langu ngalitjiwe pakati kwe njudzi.”
1 I am Malachi. And this is the message that the Lord gave me for Israel.
The Lord's Love for Israel
2 Israel, 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 3 instead of Esau. And I turned Esau's hill country into a barren desert where jackals roam. 4 Esau's descendants may say, “Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild it.”
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.
5 Israel, when you see this, you will shout, “The Lord's great reputation reaches beyond our borders.”
Judgment against Priests
6 I, 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?”
7 You 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?”
8 But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, lame, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you. 9 I 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.
10 I 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. 11 From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth, as they burn incense and offer the proper sacrifices to me. 12 But even you priests insult me by saying, “There's nothing special about the Lord's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless.”
13 You get so disgusted that you even make vulgar signs at me. And for an offering, you bring stolen animals or those that are lame or sick. Should I accept these? 14 Instead 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 worshiped by nations everywhere.