Malachi 1:4

Legacy Standard Bible

Though Edom says, "We have been demolished, but we will return and build up the waste places"; thus says Yahweh of hosts, "They may build, but I will pull down; and men will call them a territory of wickedness, and the people toward whom Yahweh is indignant forever."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Though Edom says: “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of Armies says this: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country and the people the Lord has cursed forever.

Hebrew Names Version
Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says the LORD of Hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom the LORD shows wrath forever."

King James Version (1611)
Whereas Edom sayth, Wee are impouerished, but we will returne and build the desolate places; Thus sayth the Lord of hostes, They shal build, but I will throw downe; and they shal call them, The border of wickednesse, & the people against whom the Lord hath indignation for euer.

King James Version
Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.

English Standard Version
If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the Lord of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,' and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.'"

New American Standard Bible
Though Edom says, "We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins"; this is what the LORD of armies says: "They may build, but I will tear down; and people will call them the territory of wickedness, and the people with whom the LORD is indignant forever."

New Century Version
The people of Edom might say, "We were destroyed, but we will go back and rebuild the ruins." But the Lord All-Powerful says, "If they rebuild them, I will destroy them. People will say, ‘Edom is a wicked country. The Lord is always angry with the Edomites.'

Amplified Bible
Though [impoverished] Edom says, "We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins." Thus says the LORD of hosts, "They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the Wicked Territory, the people against whom the LORD is indignant forever."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Though Edom say, wee are impouerished, but we will returne and build the desolate places, yet sayeth the Lorde of hostes, they shall builde, but I will destroy it, and they shall call them, The border of wickednes, and the people, with whome the Lord is angrie for euer.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Though Edom says, "We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins"; thus says the LORD of hosts, "They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever."

Berean Standard Bible
Though Edom may say, "We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins," this is what the LORD of Hosts says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.

Contemporary English Version
Esau's descendants may say, "Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild." 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.

Complete Jewish Bible
Edom says, "We are beaten down now, but we will come back and rebuild the ruins." Adonai -Tzva'ot answers, "They can build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, the people with whom Adonai is permanently angry.

Darby Translation
If Edom say, We are broken down, but we will build again the ruined places,—thus saith Jehovah of hosts: They shall build, but I will throw down; and [men] shall call them the territory of wickedness, and the people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever.

Easy-to-Read Version
The people of Edom might say, "We were destroyed, but we will go back and rebuild our cities." But the Lord All-Powerful says, "If they rebuild their cities, I will destroy them again." That is why people say Edom is an evil country—a nation the Lord hates forever.

George Lamsa Translation
And if the Edomites say, We are impoverished, but let us return and build the desolate places; thus says the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will demolish; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness and, The people against whom the LORD is angry for ever.

Good News Translation
If Esau's descendants, the Edomites, say, "Our towns have been destroyed, but we will rebuild them," then the Lord will reply, "Let them rebuild—I will tear them down again. People will call them ‘The evil country' and ‘The nation with whom the Lord is angry forever.'"

Lexham English Bible
If Edom says, "We are shattered, but we will return and rebuild the ruins," Yahweh of hosts says this: "They may build, but I will tear down; and they will be called a territory of wickedness, and the people with whom Yahweh is angry forever."

Literal Translation
If Edom says, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the ruined places; so says Jehovah of Hosts: They shall build, but I will tear down. And they shall call them the region of wickedness, and the people with whom Jehovah is indignant until forever.

American Standard Version
Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever.

Bible in Basic English
Though Edom says, We are crushed down but we will come back, building up the waste places; this is what the Lord of armies has said: They may put up buildings, but I will have them pulled down; and they will be named The land of evil-doing, and The people against whom the Lord keeps his wrath for ever.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Whereas Edom saith: 'We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places'; thus saith the LORD of hosts: They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall be called The border of wickedness, and The people whom the LORD execrateth for ever.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Though Edom say, We are impouerished, but we wil returne and builde the desolate places: yet saith the Lorde of hoastes, They shal builde, but I wil destroy: & they shal cal them, The border of wickednes, & the people with whom the Lorde is angry for euer.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Because one will say, Idumea has been overthrown, but let us return and rebuild the desolate places; thus saith the Lord Almighty, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall be called The borders of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord has set himself for ever.

English Revised Version
Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down: and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.

World English Bible
Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says Yahweh of Hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom Yahweh shows wrath forever."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if Idumee seith, We ben distried, but we schulen turne ayen, and bilde tho thingis that ben distried; the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, These schulen bilde, and Y schal distrie; and thei schulen be clepid termes of wickidnesse, and a puple to whom the Lord is wroth, til in to with outen ende.

Update Bible Version
Whereas Edom says, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; this is what Yahweh of Hosts says, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Yahweh has indignation forever.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.

New English Translation
Edom says, "Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places." So the Lord who rules over all responds, "They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the Lord is permanently displeased.

New King James Version
Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.

New Living Translation
Esau's descendants in Edom may say, "We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins." But the Lord of Heaven's Armies replies, "They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,' and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.'

New Life Bible
Edom may say, "We have been destroyed, but we will return and build our cities again." But the Lord of All says, "They may build, but I will tear down. They will be called the sinful land, the people with whom the Lord is angry forever."

New Revised Standard
If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the Lord of hosts says: They may build, but I will tear down, until they are called the wicked country, the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Whereas Edom, may say, We are laid waste, but we will again build the desolate places, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, They, may build, but, I, will pull down, - and men shall call them, The Boundary of Lawlessness, and, The people with whom Yahweh hath indignation unto times age-abiding;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if Edom shall say: We are destroyed, but we will return and build up what hath been destroyed: thus saith the Lord of hosts: They shall build up, and I will throw down: and they shall be called the borders of wickedness, and the people with whom the Lord is angry for ever.

Revised Standard Version
If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the LORD of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, till they are called the wicked country, the people with whom the LORD is angry for ever."

Young's Literal Translation
Because Edom saith, `We have been made poor, And we turn back and we build the wastes,' Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They do build, and I do destroy, And [men] have called to them, `O region of wickedness,' `O people whom Jehovah defied to the age.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And though Edom sayde: well, we are destroyed, we wil go buylde vp agayne the places that be waisted: yet (sayeth ye LORDE of hoostes) what they buylded, that brake I downe: so that it was called a cursed londe, and a people, whom the LORDE hath euer bene angrie withall.

THE MESSAGE
When Edom (Esau) said, "We've been knocked down, but we'll get up and start over, good as new," God -of-the-Angel-Armies said, "Just try it and see how far you get. When I knock you down, you stay down. People will take one look at you and say, ‘Land of Evil!' and ‘the God -cursed tribe!'

Contextual Overview

¹The oracle of the word of Yahweh to Israel by the hand of Malachi. ²"I have loved you," says Yahweh. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares Yahweh. "Yet I have loved Jacob; ³but I have hated Esau, and I have set his mountains to be a desolation and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness." ⁴Though Edom says, "We have been demolished, but we will return and build up the waste places"; thus says Yahweh of hosts, "They may build, but I will pull down; and men will call them a territory of wickedness, and the people toward whom Yahweh is indignant forever." ⁵And your eyes will see this, and you will say, "Yahweh be magnified beyond the territory of Israel!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

but: Isaiah 9:9, Isaiah 9:10, James 4:13-16

They shall build: Job 9:4, Job 12:14, Job 34:29, Psalms 127:1, Proverbs 21:30, Isaiah 10:4, Isaiah 10:15, Isaiah 10:16, Lamentations 3:37, Matthew 12:30

The border: Jeremiah 31:17, Ezekiel 11:10, Amos 6:2

The people: Malachi 1:3, Psalms 137:7, Isaiah 11:14, Isaiah 34:5, Isaiah 34:10, Isaiah 63:1-6, Lamentations 4:21, Lamentations 4:22, Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel 35:9

Reciprocal: Joshua 6:26 - Cursed Judges 6:6 - impoverished Isaiah 34:11 - stretch Isaiah 64:9 - remember Jeremiah 22:14 - I will Jeremiah 49:7 - Edom Jeremiah 49:10 - I have made Jeremiah 49:13 - a desolation Jeremiah 49:20 - make Lamentations 2:2 - he hath thrown Ezekiel 25:13 - I will also Ezekiel 26:14 - be built Ezekiel 32:29 - Edom Ezekiel 35:4 - lay Hosea 2:9 - will I Joel 3:19 - Edom Amos 1:11 - Edom Amos 9:12 - Edom Obadiah 1:1 - concerning Obadiah 1:3 - pride Obadiah 1:10 - and Obadiah 1:19 - the south Habakkuk 2:13 - is it Malachi 3:18 - shall

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18
and to rule the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25
God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Ecclesiastes 2:13
And I saw that there is an advantage in wisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness.

Ecclesiastes 11:7
The light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished,.... Or the Idumeans, as the Targum; the posterity of Esau, who acknowledge themselves greatly reduced by the desolations made in their country, cities, towns, and houses, being plundered of all their valuable things. Kimchi interprets it, if the congregation of Edom should say, though we are become poor and low, and our land is laid waste:

but we will return; being now become rich, as the Targum adds; that is, as Jarchi explains it, with the spoils of Jerusalem:

and build the desolate places: as Israel did, as Kimchi observes, when they returned from their captivity; and so the Edomites hoped to do the same:

thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; they attempted to build again their cities and towns, but could not succeed, God was against them:

and they shall call them; or, "they shall be called" u; this shall be the name they, shall go by among men, by way of proverb and reproach:

The border of wickedness; a wicked kingdom and nation, from one end to the other; this shall be said of them, as the reason of their utter and perpetual desolation:

and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever; not for seventy years only, as against the Jews, Zechariah 1:12, but forever; and these are now no more a people; they are utterly extinct; their name and nation are lost; there is not the least appearance of them; when the Jews, though they are scattered about in the world, yet they are still a people, and distinct from all others.

u וקראו להם "et vocabuntur", V. L. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Grotius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Whereas Edom saith - ^o.

We are impoverished - ^o, ידשׁשׁ.), or, more probably, “we were crushed.” Either gives an adequate sense. Human self-confidence will admit anything, as to the past; nay, will even exaggerate past evil to itself, “Crush us how they may, we will arise and repair our losses.” So Ephraim said of old Isaiah 9:9-10, “in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn-stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” It is the one language of what calls itself, “indomitable;” in other words, “untameable,” conquerors or every other gambler; “we will repair our losses.” All is again staked and lost.

“They shall call them the border of wickedness.” Formerly, it had its own proper name, “the border of Edom,” as other countries Exodus 10:14, Exodus 10:19, “all the border of Egypt Deuteronomy 2:18, the border of Moab 1Sa 11:3, 1 Samuel 11:7; 1 Samuel 27:1; 1 Chronicles 21:12, the whole border of Israel 2 Chronicles 11:13, the border of Israel Judges 11:22, the whole border of the Amorite.” Henceforth, it should be known no more by its own name; but as “the border of wickedness,” where wickedness formerly dwelt, and, hence, the judgment of God and desolation from Him came upon it, “an accursed land.” In a similar manner, Jeremiah says somewhat of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 22:8-9. Compare Deuteronomy 29:23-28.) “Many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say, every man to his neighbor, Wherfore hath the Lord done this unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.” Only Israel would retain its name, as it has; Edom should be blotted out wholly and forever.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Malachi 1:4. They shall build, but I will throw down — We have already seen enough of the wickedness of the Edomites to justify the utmost severity of Divine justice against them. The pulling down predicted here was by Judas Maccabeus; see 1Mac 5:65; and by John Hyrcanus; see Joseph. Antiq., lib. xiii. c. 9. s. 1.

They shall call them, The border of wickedness — A wicked land. Among this people scarcely any trace of good could ever be noted.