וְעַתָּה אֲלֵיכֶם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת הַכֹּהֲנִים

And now, this commandment of respect for the Temple service is to you, the priests.

אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ וְאִם־לֹא תָשִׂימוּ עַל־לֵב לָתֵת כָּבוֹד לִשְׁמִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי בָכֶם אֶת־הַמְּאֵרָה וְאָרוֹתִי אֶת־בִּרְכוֹתֵיכֶם וְגַם אָרוֹתִיהָ כִּי אֵינְכֶם שָׂמִים עַל־לֵב

If you will not heed, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My name, said the Lord of hosts, I will send among you the curse, and I will curse your blessings, your successes and your crops: I will transform the earlier blessings You received from Me into curses, or: I will curse the blessings for which you pray, or the blessings with which you bless the people, the priestly benediction. I also cursed it already, because you do not take it to heart.

הִנְנִי גֹעֵר לָכֶם אֶת־הַזֶּרַע וְזֵרִיתִי פֶרֶשׁ עַל־פְּנֵיכֶם פֶּרֶשׁ חַגֵּיכֶם וְנָשָׂא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָיו

Behold, I berate the seed, I will curse it so that it does not sprout for you. And I will scatter dung on your faces, the dung of the offerings of your festivals, and it, the dung, a reference to sin or the enemy, will carry you to it, to be as disgusting and wretched as the dung itself. The blessing, grace, and divine favor expressed in the priestly benediction will become a curse, and you will be distanced from Me due to your deeds.

וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי שִׁלַּחְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם אֵת הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת לִהְיוֹת בְּרִיתִי אֶת־לֵוִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

You shall thereby know that I sent this commandment to you, so that My covenant will be upheld with the tribe of Levi, said the Lord of hosts.

בְּרִיתִי הָיְתָה אִתּוֹ הַחַיִּים וְהַשָּׁלוֹם וָאֶתְּנֵם־לוֹ מוֹרָא וַיִּירָאֵנִי וּמִפְּנֵי שְׁמִי נִחַת הוּא

My covenant was with him, the house of Levi, a covenant of life and peace; these blessings are contingent on the priests’ adherence to their responsibilities. And I gave it, the covenant and its assurances, to him, the tribe of Levi, so that it should accept them in fear of God, and he indeed feared Me, and due to My name, he was intimidated.

תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת הָיְתָה בְּפִיהוּ וְעַוְלָה לֹא־נִמְצָא בִשְׂפָתָיו בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְמִישׁוֹר הָלַךְ אִתִּי וְרַבִּים הֵשִׁיב מֵעָוֹן

The Torah of truth was in his mouth. The Levites would teach the people Torah and justice. And injustice was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and honesty, and he returned many from iniquity.

כִּי־שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ־דַעַת וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ כִּי מַלְאַךְ ה'־צְבָאוֹת הוּא

For the lips of the priest will safeguard knowledge. A priest is tasked with safeguarding the Torah, and they, the people, will seek Torah from his mouth, as he is a messenger of the Lord of hosts.

וְאַתֶּם סַרְתֶּם מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ הִכְשַׁלְתֶּם רַבִּים בַּתּוֹרָה שִׁחַתֶּם בְּרִית הַלֵּוִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

But you deviated from the way; you caused many to stumble in the Torah, you corrupted and breached the covenant of Levi, said the Lord of hosts.

וְגַם־אֲנִי נָתַתִּי אֶתְכֶם נִבְזִים וּשְׁפָלִים לְכָל־הָעָם כְּפִי אֲשֶׁר אֵינְכֶם שֹׁמְרִים אֶת־דְּרָכַי וְנֹשְׂאִים פָּנִים בַּתּוֹרָה

I also rendered you contemptible and debased to all the people, because you do not keep My ways and show partiality in the Torah. You distort the Torah to assist a person you favor or to enhance some article that you own.

הֲלוֹא אָב אֶחָד לְכֻלָּנוּ הֲלוֹא אֵל אֶחָד בְּרָאָנוּ מַדּוּעַ נִבְגַּד אִישׁ בְּאָחִיו לְחַלֵּל בְּרִית אֲבֹתֵינוּ!

Isn’t there one father, Abraham, for all of us? Didn’t one God create us? Why is one betrayed by another, by betraying our mutual obligation to marry only among ourselves and not with people of any other nation, and thereby to profane the covenant of our fathers?

בָּגְדָה יְהוּדָה וְתוֹעֵבָה נֶעֶשְׂתָה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִירוּשָׁלִָם כִּי חִלֵּל יְהוּדָה קֹדֶשׁ ה' אֲשֶׁר אָהֵב וּבָעַל בַּת־אֵל נֵכָר

Judah has betrayed, and an abomination was performed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the holy of the Lord, which is His people Israel, that He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

יַכְרֵת ה' לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂנָּה עֵר וְעֹנֶה מֵאָהֳלֵי יַעֲקֹב וּמַגִּישׁ מִנְחָה לַה' צְבָאוֹת

May the Lord eliminate the man who does this, who betrays, great and small, that is, the greatest and least of those who act in this manner, from the tents of Jacob, or, if he is a priest, from serving as the presenter of an offering to the Lord of hosts.

וְזֹאת שֵׁנִית תַּעֲשׂוּ כַּסּוֹת דִּמְעָה אֶת־מִזְבַּח ה' בְּכִי וַאֲנָקָה מֵאֵין עוֹד פְנוֹת אֶל־הַמִּנְחָה וְלָקַחַת רָצוֹן מִיֶּדְכֶם

This is the second thing that you have done, in addition to the sin of intermarriage: Covering the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping, and moaning. You cause the altar to become flooded with the tears of your abandoned Jewish wives. It is as though the altar is saturated with their tears and can receive nothing else, so that it will not be available for the offering presented upon it, or to accept it, the offering, with favor from your hand.

וַאֲמַרְתֶּם עַל־מָה – עַל כִּי־ה' הֵעִיד בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין אֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָּגַדְתָּה בָּהּ והִיא חֲבֶרְתְּךָ וְאֵשֶׁת בְּרִיתֶךָ

You say: Why doesn’t God accept our offerings? It is because the Lord attested to the covenant, that which is between you and the wife of your youth, whom you betrayed, as your heart has strayed to a non-Jewish woman, though she, the wife of your youth, is your companion, and the wife of your covenant.

וְ לֹא־אֶחָד עָשָׂה ה' וּשְׁאָר רוּחַ לוֹ וּמָה הָאֶחָד מְבַקֵּשׁ זֶרַע אֱלֹהִים וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם בְּרוּחֲכֶם וּבְאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶיךָ אַל־יִבְגֹּד

Didn’t He make man one, unlike the beasts, with his extraordinary spirit? The human being resembles his Creator more than the animals, and his spirit is higher than theirs. For this reason, the first male and female human was created in the form of one person, as the verse states: “On the day that God created man, in the likeness of God He made him; male and female He created them…and He called their name Man.” The connection between man and wife is therefore a unique and personal bond which also extends to their spirits. What does the one seek? It is godly, holy and exalted, offspring. Therefore, safeguard your spirit by controlling your passions, and let it not betray the wife of your youth. The mating habits of animals stem entirely from their biological impulse to reproduce, and therefore the concept of betrayal does not apply to them. By contrast, due to their lofty spirit, people are obligated to exercise great restraint.

כִּי־שָׂנֵא שַׁלַּח אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִסָּה חָמָס עַל־לְבוּשׁוֹ אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם בְּרוּחֲכֶם וְלֹא תִבְגֹּדוּ

For I hate divorce, said the Lord, the God of Israel. God hates the man who sends away the wife of his youth in favor of another woman. Alternatively, the verse means: If a man hates his wife, he should divorce her so that she can remarry. He should not remain with her if he loves another. And one who betrays his wife is like someone who covers his garment with villainy and seeks to honor himself in that manner, said the Lord of hosts. Safeguard your spirit and do not betray.

הוֹגַעְתֶּם ה' בְּדִבְרֵיכֶם וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּמָּה הוֹגָעְנוּ – בֶּאֱמָרְכֶם כָּל־עֹשֵׂה רָע טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי ה' וּבָהֶם הוּא חָפֵץ אוֹ אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵי הַמִּשְׁפָּט!

The prophet further rebukes the people for their crooked principles. You wearied the Lord with your words, but you say: How did we weary Him? The prophet answers: You have wearied Him in your saying: Everyone who performs evil is good in the eyes of the Lord, and it is them He desires, as you accuse God of leaving the wicked in the world and bestowing goodness upon them; or you ask: Where is the God of justice? There is no justice in the world.