Malachi 1:12

THE MESSAGE

"All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,' and when you say, ‘I'm bored—this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God -of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“But you are profaning it when you say: ‘The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.’

King James Version (1611)
But yee haue prophaned it, in that yee say; The table of the Lord is polluted, and the fruite thereof, euen his meate, is contemptible.

King James Version
But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.

English Standard Version
But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised.

New American Standard Bible
"But you are profaning it by your saying, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.'

New Century Version
"But you don't honor me. You say about the Lord's altar, ‘It is unclean, and the food has no worth.'

Amplified Bible
"But you [priests] profane it when you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
But ye haue polluted it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted & the fruit thereof, euen his meat is not to be regarded.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But you are profaning it, in that you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.'

Legacy Standard Bible
"But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.'

Berean Standard Bible
"But you profane it when you say, 'The table of the LORD is defiled, and its fruit, its food, is contemptible.'

Contemporary English Version
But even you priests insult me by saying, "There's nothing special about the Lord 's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless."

Complete Jewish Bible
"But you profane it by saying that the table of Adonai is polluted, so that the fruit and food offered deserve contempt.

Darby Translation
But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, his food, is contemptible.

Easy-to-Read Version
"But you people show that you don't respect my name. You say that the Lord's altar is unclean. And you don't like the food from that altar.

George Lamsa Translation
But you are profaning it, in that you say, The table of the LORD is polluted and its food is contemptible.

Good News Translation
But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise.

Lexham English Bible
"But you are profaning it by saying the table of the Lord is defiled, and its fruit—its food—is despised!

Literal Translation
But you are profaning it when you say, The table of the Lord, it is polluted; and its fruit, His food is to be despised.

American Standard Version
But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of Jehovah is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even its food, is contemptible.

Bible in Basic English
But you make it unholy by saying, The Lord's table has become unclean, and his food is of no value.

Hebrew Names Version
"But you profane it, in that you say, 'The LORD's table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.'

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But ye profane it, in that ye say: 'The table of the LORD is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even the food thereof, is contemptible.'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But ye haue polluted it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted, & the fruite thereof, [euen] his meate is not to be regarded.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted, and his meats set thereon are despised.

English Revised Version
But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.

World English Bible
"But you profane it, in that you say, 'Yahweh's table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And ye han defoulid it in that that ye seien, The boord of the Lord is defoulid, and that that is put aboue is `worthi to be dispisid, with fier that deuourith it.

Update Bible Version
But you profane it, in that you say, The table of Yahweh is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even its food, is contemptible.

Webster's Bible Translation
But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD [is] polluted; and the fruit of it, [even] his provision, is contemptible.

New English Translation
"But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common and its offerings despicable.

New King James Version
"But you profane it,In that you say,'The table of the Lord [fn] is defiled;And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.'

New Living Translation
"But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it's all right to defile the Lord's table.

New Life Bible
"But you are making it unclean when you say that the table of the Lord is unclean, and that its food is to be hated.

New Revised Standard
But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and the food for it may be despised.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But ye are profaning me, - in that ye say, As for the table of the Lord, polluted it is, and, as for his produce, contemptible is his food.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And you have profaned it in that you say: The table of the Lord is defiled: and that which is laid thereupon is contemptible with the fire that devoureth it.

Revised Standard Version
But you profane it when you say that the LORD's table is polluted, and the food for it may be despised.

Young's Literal Translation
And ye are polluting it in your saying, `The table of Jehovah -- it is polluted, As to its fruit -- despicable is its food.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But ye haue vnhalowed it, in that ye saye, the aulter of ye LORDE is not to be regarded, and the thinge that is set thervpon, not worthy to be eaten.

Contextual Overview

⁶ "Isn't it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I'm your Father, where's the honor? If I'm your Master, where's the respect?" God -of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: "You priests despise me! "You say, ‘Not so! How do we despise you?' "By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship. "You ask, ‘What do you mean, "defiling"? What's defiling about it?' ⁷"When you say, ‘The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling. And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?" God -of-the-Angel-Armies asks you. ⁹ "Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God -of-the-Angel-Armies asks you. ¹⁰ "Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God -of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship! ¹¹ "I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: ‘God is greater, this God -of-the-Angel-Armies.' ¹²"All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,' and when you say, ‘I'm bored—this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God -of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you! ¹⁴ "A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye have: Malachi 1:6, Malachi 1:8, Malachi 2:8, 2 Samuel 12:14, Ezekiel 36:21-23, Amos 2:7, Romans 2:24

The table: Malachi 1:7, Malachi 1:13, Numbers 11:4-8, Daniel 5:3, Daniel 5:4

Reciprocal: Exodus 25:30 - General Exodus 37:10 - General Leviticus 3:11 - the food Leviticus 18:21 - profane Leviticus 21:6 - profane Leviticus 22:25 - the bread Leviticus 24:9 - Aaron's Numbers 28:2 - my bread 1 Samuel 2:29 - kick ye 2 Samuel 24:24 - Nay 1 Kings 7:48 - the table 1 Chronicles 21:24 - Nay 2 Chronicles 4:8 - ten tables Jeremiah 24:2 - naughty Jeremiah 34:16 - polluted Ezekiel 22:8 - General Ezekiel 40:39 - tables on that Ezekiel 41:22 - This is Ezekiel 44:7 - when Ezekiel 44:16 - to my table Matthew 25:24 - I knew Mark 14:4 - Why Luke 15:29 - yet Philippians 3:19 - whose God

Cross-References

Genesis 1:11
God spoke: "Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants, Every sort of fruit-bearing tree." And there it was. Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties, And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts. God saw that it was good. It was evening, it was morning— Day Three.

Genesis 1:24
God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

Galatians 6:7
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But ye have profaned it,.... That is, the name of the Lord, which they are said to despise, Malachi 1:6 and pollute, Malachi 1:7 and is a reason why they and their offerings were rejected: and that they profaned the name of the Lord appears by this,

in that ye say, The table of the Lord [is] polluted: the same with "contemptible", Malachi 1:7 as Kimchi observes;

Malachi 1:7- ::

and the fruit thereof, [even] his meat is contemptible; the word for fruit o sometimes is used for speech, the fruit of the lips,

Isaiah 57:19 and taken in this sense here, as it is by some, may be understood either of the word of God, which commanded such and such sacrifices to be offered up upon the altar, and was despised, so Abarbinel: or the word of the priests, who were continually saying that what was offered up on the altar was contemptible, even the food which they ate of; so Jarchi and Kimchi. "Fruit" and "meat" seem to signify one and the same thing, and design the fruit and meat of the altar; either that which belonged to the Lord, the fat and the blood, which were offered to him, and were reckoned contemptible; or that which fell to the share of the priests, which they thought mean and worthless. Cocceius interprets this of Christ the Branch of the Lord, and fruit of the earth, Isaiah 4:2 whose meat it was to do the will of him that sent him, and was despised and rejected by the Jews; and which was the reason of God's casting them off, and taking in the Gentiles.

o ניבו "et verbum ejus", Pagninus, Munster; "sermo ejus, [vel] eorum", Vatablus; so Ben Melech.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And ye have profaned - ^o (are habitually profaning it), in that ye say It was the daily result of their daily lives and acts. “It is probable that the priests did not use such words, but that by their very deeds, they proclaimed this aloud: as in the, ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.’ For in that he is seen to be a despiser, though he say it not in words, yet, by their very deeds and by the crookedness of their lives, they all but cry out, There is no God. For they who live as though God beheld not, and do all things recklessly and unholily, by their own deeds and works deny God. So they who are not earnest to preserve to the holy altar the reverence becoming to it, by the very things which they do, say,

The table of the Lord is despised - Not the “table of showbread,” since it is so called in reference to the sacrifice offered thereon. Ezekiel had probably so called the altar, which he saw in his vision of the new temple. Ezekiel 44:16. It is what was before called “the altar;” an altar, in regard to the sacrifices offered to God; a “table,” in regard to the food of the sacrifice therefrom received. Both names, “altar” Matthew 5:23; Hebrews 13:10. and “table” 1 Corinthians 10:21. being received in the New Testament, both were received in the early Church. For each represented one side of the great eucharistic action, as it is a Sacrifice and a sacrament. But the title “altar” was the earliest.

It may be here a different profaneness of the priests. They connived at the sin of the people in sacrificing the maimed animals which they brought, and yet, since they had their food from the sacrifices, and such animals are likely to have been neglected and ill-conditioned, they may very probably have complained of the poverty of their lot, and despised the whole service. For the words used, “its produce, the eating thereof is contemptible” belong to their portion, not to what was consumed by fire. With this agrees their cry.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Malachi 1:12. Ye have profaned it — Ye have desecrated God's worship; is it any wonder that God should cast you off, and follow you with his judgments?