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Priests to Be Disciplined

¹ "Now, O priests, this commandment is for you.² "If you do ^(C1)not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name," says the LORD of hosts, "then I will send the ^(C2)curse upon you and I will curse your blessings on the people. Indeed, I have ^(C3)cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.³ "Behold, I am going to ^(C1)rebuke your seed, and I will ^(C2)spread the refuse on your faces, the refuse from the ^(C3)festival offerings; and you will be taken away with it in disgrace.⁴ "Then you will know without any doubt that I have sent this new commandment to you (priests), that My ^(C1)covenant may continue with Levi the priestly tribe," says the LORD of hosts.⁵ "My covenant with Levi was one of life and ^(C1)peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he and the priests ^(C2)feared Me and stood in reverent awe of My name.⁶ "^(C1)True instruction was in Levi's mouth and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked ^(C2)with Me in peace and uprightness, and he ^(C3)turned many from wickedness.⁷ "For the lips of the priest should guard and preserve ^(C1)knowledge of My law, and the people should ^(C2)seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the ^(C3)messenger of the LORD of hosts.⁸ "But as for you priests, you have turned from the way and you have caused many to ^(C1)stumble by your instruction in the law. You have ^(C2)violated the covenant of Levi," says the LORD of hosts.⁹ "So ^(C1)I have ^(C1)also made you despised and ^(C2)abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing ^(C3)partiality to people in your administration of the law."

Sin in the Family

¹⁰ Do we not all have ^(C1)one Father? ^(C2)Has not one God created us? Why do we deal ^(C3)treacherously with one another, profaning the ^(C4)covenant of our fathers with God?¹¹ Judah has been ^(C1)treacherous (disloyal), and a repulsive act has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has ^(C2)profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. ^(VR1)12 As for the man who does this, may the ^(C1)LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob to the last man those who do this evil thing, awake and aware, even the one who ^(C2)brings an offering to the LORD of hosts.

¹³ This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with your own weeping and sighing, because the LORD ^(C1)no longer regards your offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.¹⁴ But you say, "Why does He reject it?" Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the ^(C1)wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt ^(C2)treacherously. Yet she is your marriage companion and the wife of your covenant made by your vows.¹⁵ But not one has ^(C1)done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while seeking a ^(C2)godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal ^(C3)treacherously against the wife of your youth.¹⁶ "For I hate ^(F1)(C1)divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with ^(C2)wrong and violence," says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore keep watch on your spirit, so that you do not deal treacherously with your wife."

¹⁷ You have ^(C1)wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, "In what way have we wearied Him?" In that you say, "^(C2)Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He ^(C3)delights in them," or by asking, "^(C4)Where is the God of ^(C5)justice?"