"Should not a son honour his father, and a servant his master? If I be now a father, where is mine honour? If I be the LORD, where am I feared? sayeth the LORD of Hosts, now, to you priests that despise my name. And if ye say, 'Wherein have we despised thy name?'

And now make your prayer before God, that he may have mercy upon us: for such things have ye done. Shall he regard your persons, think ye, sayeth the LORD of Hosts?

For from the rising up of the sun unto the going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles. Yea, in every place shall there sacrifice be done, and a clean meat offering offered up unto my name: for my name is great among the Heathen, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

Now say ye, 'It is but labour and travail,' and thus have ye thought scorn at it, sayeth the LORD of Hosts; offering robbery, yea the lame and the sick. Ye have brought me in a meat offering? Should I accept it of your hand? sayeth the LORD.

Cursed be the dissembler, which hath in his flock one that is male, and when he maketh a vow, offereth a spotted one unto the LORD. For I am a great King, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, and my name is fearful among the Heathen.

If ye will not hear it, nor regard it, to give the glory unto my name, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, I will send a curse upon you, and will curse your blessings. Yea, curse them will I if ye do not take heed.

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you: that my covenant which I made with Levi, might stand, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

I made a covenant of life and peace with him: this I gave him, that he might stand in awe of me: and so he did fear me, and had my name in reverence.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and there was no wickedness found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many one away from their sins.

For the priest's lips should be sure knowledge, that men may seek the law at his mouth, for he is a messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

Therefore will I also make you to be despised, and to be of no reputation among all the people: because ye have not kept my ways, but been partial in the law.

Behold, I send my messenger which shall prepare the way before me. And suddenly shall the Lord whom ye seek, come unto his temple, and the messenger of the covenant whom ye desire. Behold, he cometh saith the LORD Sabaoth.

I will come and punish you, and I myself will be a swift witness against the witches, against the adulterers, against false swearers: yea, and against those that wrongfully keep back the hireling's duty, which vex the widows and the fatherless, and oppress the stranger, and fear not me, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.

"Ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and since the time of your forefathers have ye not kept them. Turn you now unto me, and I will turn me unto you, sayeth the LORD of Hosts. Ye say, 'Wherein shall we turn?'

Should a man use falsity and deceit with God, as ye use falsity and deceit with me? Yet ye say, 'Wherein use we deceit with thee?' In tithes and heave offerings.

Therefore are ye cursed with penury, because ye dissemble with me, all the sort of you.

Bring every tithe into my barn, that there may be meat in mine house: and prove me withal, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven unto you, and pour you out a blessing with plenteousness.

Ye speak hard words against me, sayeth the LORD. And yet ye say, 'What have we spoken against thee?'

Therefore may we say, that the proud are happy, and that they which deal with ungodliness, are set up: for they tempt God and yet escape.'

But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of righteousness arise, and health shall be under his wings: ye shall go forth, and multiply as the fat calves.

Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I committed unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and ordinances.