מַשָּׂא דְבַר־ה' אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיַד מַלְאָכִי

The prophecy [massa] of the word of the Lord to Israel through the prophet Malachi. Malachi refers to his prophecy using the term massa, literally a burden. This term suggests that prophets often experienced their prophesying as burdensome.

אָהַבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אָמַר ה' וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּמָּה אֲהַבְתָּנוּ

I loved you, said the Lord, but you say: How have You loved us? How can we discern Your love? God responds: Wasn’t Esau a brother to Jacob? – the utterance of the Lord – Esau and Jacob shared a brotherly bond from conception, as the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca, and yet I loved Jacob.

הֲלוֹא־אָח עֵשָׂו לְיַעֲקֹב נְאֻם־ה' וָאֹהַב אֶת־יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת־עֵשָׂו שָׂנֵאתִי וָאָשִׂים אֶת־הָרָיו שְׁמָמָה וְאֶת־נַחֲלָתוֹ לְתַנּוֹת מִדְבָּר

But I hated Esau and I rendered his mountains a desolation and rendered his inheritance, the land of Edom, a habitation for the jackals of the wilderness.

כִּי־תֹאמַר אֱדוֹם רֻשַּׁשְׁנוּ וְנָשׁוּב וְנִבְנֶה חֳרָבוֹת – כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת הֵמָּה יִבְנוּ וַאֲנִי אֶהֱרוֹס וְקָרְאוּ לָהֶם גְּבוּל רִשְׁעָה וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר־זָעַם ה' עַד־עוֹלָם

If the population of Edom will say: We are ruined, but we will return and build the ruins, so said the Lord of hosts: They will build, and I will destroy; they will be called the boundary, the land, of wickedness, and the people who the Lord rages against forever. The people of Edom will fail in their attempts to restore their land, and it will remain cursed.

ועֵינֵיכֶם תִּרְאֶינָה וְאַתֶּם תֹּאמְרוּ יִגְדַּל ה' מֵעַל לִגְבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

In contrast to the fate of the descendants of Esau, your eyes will see the downfall of your enemies, and you will say: May the Lord be glorified and honored beyond the boundary of Israel.

בֵּן יְכַבֵּד אָב וְעֶבֶד אֲדֹנָיו וְאִם־אָב אָנִי אַיֵּה כְבוֹדִי! וְאִם־אֲדוֹנִים אָנִי אַיֵּה מוֹרָאִי ! אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת לָכֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים בּוֹזֵי שְׁמִי וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּמֶּה בָזִינוּ אֶת־שְׁמֶךָ

The prophet accuses the priests on God’s behalf: A son will honor his father, and a servant respects and fears his master. This is the normal order of life. If I am a father, where is My honor? If I am a master, where is My fear, the Lord of hosts says to you, the priests, scorners of My name and belittlers of My honor. And you say: How have we scorned Your name? After all, we serve in the Temple and observe its laws.

מַגִּישִׁים עַל־מִזְבְּחִי לֶחֶם מְגֹאָל וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּמֶּה גֵאַלְנוּךָ – בֶּאֱמָרְכֶם שֻׁלְחַן ה' נִבְזֶה הוּא

The prophet cites God’s response: You present tainted bread on My altar, and you say: How have we tainted You, Your bread? You have polluted it in your saying: The table of the Lord is contemptible. You treat the altar as a worthless item.

וְכִי־תַגִּשׁוּן עִוֵּר לִזְבֹּחַ אֵין רָע וְכִי תַגִּישׁוּ פִּסֵּחַ וְחֹלֶה אֵין רָע הַקְרִיבֵהוּ נָא לְפֶחָתֶךָ הֲיִרְצְךָ אוֹ הֲיִשָּׂא פָנֶיךָ ! אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is nothing wrong? When you present the lame and ill, is nothing wrong? Present it now to your governor. Try to offer such a blemished animal to your ruler of flesh and blood; will he be pleased with you, or will he show you favor? – said the Lord of hosts.

וְעַתָּה חַלּוּ־נָא פְנֵי־אֵל וִיחָנֵנוּ מִיֶּדְכֶם הָיְתָה זֹּאת הֲיִשָּׂא מִכֶּם פָּנִים! אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

Malachi tells the priests: Now, please implore God that He accept your gifts, so that He may be gracious to us by exercising mercy, or by bestowing a blessing upon us. This offering of blemished animals was from your hand; will He show any of you favor? said the Lord of hosts.

מִי גַם־בָּכֶם וְיִסְגֹּר דְּלָתַיִם וְלֹא־תָאִירוּ מִזְבְּחִי חִנָּם אֵין־לִי חֵפֶץ בָּכֶם אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וּמִנְחָה לֹא־אֶרְצֶה מִיֶּדְכֶם

If only there were even one among you who would rise and shut the doors of the Temple, so you would not kindle My altar in vain. I have no desire for you, said the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.

כִּי מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁמֶשׁ וְעַד־מְבוֹאוֹ גָּדוֹל שְׁמִי בַּגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל־מָקוֹם מֻקְטָר מֻגָּשׁ לִשְׁמִי וּמִנְחָה טְהוֹרָה כִּי־גָדוֹל שְׂמִי בַּגּוֹיִם אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

For from the rising of the sun to its setting, across the entire world, My name is great among the nations, and in every place, burnt offerings and pure meal offerings are presented to My name, for My name is great among the nations. They know that I am the God of gods, said the Lord of hosts.

וְאַתֶּם מְחַלְּלִים אוֹתוֹ בֶּאֱמָרְכֶם שֻׁלְחַן אֲדֹנָי מְגֹאָל הוּא וְנִיבוֹ נִבְזֶה אָכְלוֹ

But you profane it, My name, in your saying: The table of the Lord, the altar, is tainted, and its fruit [nivo] is contemptible, as is its food. According to Rashi, nivo refers to the priests’ speech [niv] about the altar, as they refer to the altar’s food as contemptible. God declares: Unlike the gentiles, who offer pure meal offerings in My name, you, who are My beloved, defile My bread.

וַאֲמַרְתֶּם הִנֵּה מַתְּלָאָה וְהִפַּחְתֶּם אוֹתוֹ אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וַהֲבֵאתֶם גָּזוּל וְאֶת־הַפִּסֵּחַ וְאֶת־הַחוֹלֶה וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת־הַמִּנְחָה הַאֶרְצֶה אוֹתָהּ מִיֶּדְכֶם! אָמַר ה'

You also say with regard to the offering: Behold, this is bothersome to bring an offering. Alternatively, behold, even this defective and weak animal is fit for the altar. And you disappointed Him – the utterance of the Lord of hosts. Out of respect for God, the prophet refers to God in the third person, even though he is transmitting the statement of God. And you brought the stolen, and the lame, and the ill, and you brought the blemished offering; should I accept it from your hand? said the Lord.

וְאָרוּר נוֹכֵל וְיֵשׁ בְּעֶדְרוֹ זָכָר וְנֹדֵר וְזֹבֵחַ מָשְׁחָת לַאדֹנָי כִּי מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל אָנִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וּשְׁמִי נוֹרָא בַגּוֹיִם

Cursed is the scoundrel who has a ram in his flock, and vows to bring an offering, as if to indicate that he is a generous and righteous person, and yet when he fulfills his vow, he slaughters the blemished animal to the Lord. Such an individual is cursed, for he has shown disdain for Me, as I am a great King, said the Lord of hosts, and My name is awesome among the nations.