The prophetic book of Malachi
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Malachi, his name means: My Messenger. a contemporary of Jeremiah.	Malachi prophesied to Israel after their return from captivity. His prophecy was to warn the people of their sin and urge them to conform to the law and to proclaim the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. four chapters	between 433-425 BC.

Verse by verse, account of the book of Malachi.

Malachi: chapter 1

¹The burden of the Word of the LORD to Israel, given to Malachi. ²I have loved My people, says the LORD. Yet, you ask; In what way have You loved us? My reply is; Was not Esau Jacob's brother? Yet, I loved Jacob, ³And Easu I have hated, for I have made his lands desolate and his future bleak. ⁴Even though the people of Edom have said we will return and rebuild the desolate places. The LORD Himself says; They may rebuild, but I shall destroy. Their land shall be called a land of wickedness, for the LORD is against them forever. ⁵Israel, open your eyes and see the works the LORD, around you, then you shall say; the LORD is magnified beyond the boarders of Israel.

⁶As a son honors his father and a servant his master. I am Father and Master to you, where is My honor and reverence, you give Me nether honor nor reverence. Your priests despise My name, yet you question and say; How have we despised your name? ⁷For they offer defiled food on My altar and then they say; in what way have we defiled You? For they have low regard for the table of the LORD. ⁸And when they offer blind, lame and sick animals as a sacrifice, is it not evil? If you offered the same to your governor, would he be pleased with you and accept your offering, giving you favor?

⁹Now I Malachi tell you to pray before God that He might have favor on you. But, if you do not change your ways of sacrificing defiled offerings, do you think the LORD will accept you favorably? ¹⁰Oh how I wish there were one of you who would shut the temple doors and disallow these perverse offerings. For I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD. ¹¹For all times My name shall be great among the nations, incense and pure food shall be offered to Me. ¹²But you priest's profane My table, treating it as if it were despicable. ¹³And an obligation and you scoff at it. Why should I then accept your defiled offerings? ¹⁴Cursed shall be the one who has not a proper sacrifice in His midst, but offers up the lame, blind or that which is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts and My name is to be feared among all the nations.

Malachi: chapter 2

This commandment is for all the priests. ²If you will not change your ways and give glory to My name, I will send a curse upon you and even curse the blessings that you now have. And I have already cursed them because you do not reverence and respect My name. ³I will rebuke even your descendants and defile your faces just as the sacrifices you offered Me were defiled and you shall spend all your days defiled. ⁴Then you shall know that it is I the LORD, who has sent you this command, that My covenant with the Levi's still continues. ⁵My covenant with the family of Levi, the priestly tribe, is a covenant of life and peace, I gave My covenant to them that they might fear Me and for awhile they did reverence My name. ⁶The law was in their mouth and no injustice was found in them. They walked with Me and they turned many people away from evil. ⁷That is how a priest should be, wise and knowledgeable. And people should seek his instruction, for he is a messenger of the LORD. ⁸But you have departed from the way of the LORD and have caused many to stumble over the law, corrupting your own covenant. ⁹Therefore, since you have not kept My ways and have shown partiality in the law, I have made you despicable before all people.

¹⁰Has not God created all of us, do we not all have one Father? Why then do we deal so faithlessly and treacherously with one another, by profaning the covenant of God, as our fathers also did? ¹¹The people in Judah, in Israel and Jerusalem have committed an abomination, they have profaned the LORD's holy temple by marrying women of foreign gods. ¹²The LORD will cut of the man who does this from His covenant, even if he brings an offering to the LORD. ¹³I also hold against you, that you weep and wail on the altar, I will not regard your offering anymore or accept it from your hand with favor. ¹⁴But you question why? Because you have dealt treacherously with the wife of your youth. She is your companion and your wife by covenant. ¹⁵For the LORD made the two as one, even having a remnant of the same Spirit, for the reason of having Godly offspring. Therefore, do not deal wickedly with the wife of your youth. ¹⁶For the LORD hates divorce, for it defiles oneself in violence. Therefore, let your spirit be governed by My Spirit that you shall not deal treacherously with your mate. ¹⁷You have wearied the LORD with your words yet you ask; how have we wearied Him? Yet, you say and believe that everyone who does evil is good in His sight and the LORD delights in them. Or you ask; where is the God of justice.

Malachi: chapter 3

¹Behold, I send My messenger to prepare the way before Me and then the LORD that you are seeking will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight is coming. ²But, who can endure and stand in the day of His coming when He appears? For He is like a refiners fire and like launderer's soap. ³He will purify the sons of Levi, purging them as gold and silver. That they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. ⁴Then, once again as in the past, the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD. ⁵Then I shall come near to you for judgment and will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers. Against those who exploit honest men, widows or orphans. Against those who turn away strangers, because they have no fear of God. ⁶For I am the LORD and I do not change, it is because of this that Israel is not consumed. ⁷Yet from the days of your fathers you have not kept My ordinances, return to Me and I will return to you. But, you again ask, In what way shall we return?

⁸I tell you, you have robbed Me and yet you ask how; You have robbed Me in tithes and offerings. ⁹Therefore, you are cursed with a curse, even the whole nation is cursed. ¹⁰Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Try Me in this and I will pour out for you such an abundance for you that there will not be room enough for you to receive it. ¹¹Your crops shall then bear much fruit, for I shall rebuke the devourer. ¹²All nations shall then look on your fertile land and call you blessed.

¹³The people's words have been harsh against Me and yet you ask, how have we spoken against You? ¹⁴You have said it is useless to serve God. What profit has it been to us that we have kept His ordinances and walked before Him as mourners? ¹⁵And thus you call the talented and proud blessed and you raise up the immoral, for you think that even those who tempt God seem to go free.

¹⁶Then those who feared the LORD and meditate on His name, spoke to each other and the LORD heard them. And a book of remembrances was written before the LORD, for those who fear Him and they who meditate on His name. ¹⁷The LORD looked upon them as jewels, saying; they shall be Mine and I shall spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. ¹⁸Then the difference between the righteous and the wicked, shall be apparent, those who serve God and those who don't.

Malachi: chapter 4

¹For the day is coming when all the proud and wicked will be completely burnt up as stubble, with no way of return. ²But to you who fear the name of the LORD, the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings and you shall go out with energy and joy winning the victory. ³You shall trample the wicked, for they will be as ashes under your feet on the day I do this. ⁴However, remember the law of Moses along with the statues and judgments, that was given to all of Israel. ⁵For I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming day of the LORD. (NOTE: this is spoken of by Jesus and was fulfilled in John the Baptist, Matthew 17:10-13) ⁶In that day he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.