Day 380 of 730

¹An oracle: the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

²"I have loved you," says the Lord. Yet you say, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says the Lord, "Yet I loved Jacob;

³but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness."

⁴Whereas 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."

⁵Your eyes will see, and you will say, "The Lord is great-even beyond the border of Israel!"

⁶"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says the Lord of hosts to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?'

⁷You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, 'How have we polluted you?' In that you say, 'The Lord's table contemptible.'

⁸When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says the Lord of hosts.

⁹"Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says the Lord of hosts.

¹⁰"Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says the Lord of hosts, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

¹¹For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says the Lord of hosts.

¹²"But you profane it, in that you say, 'The Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.'

¹³You say also, 'Behold, what a weariness it is!' and you have sniffed at it," says the Lord of hosts; "and you have brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand?" says the Lord.

¹⁴"But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says the Lord of hosts, "and my name is awesome among the nations."

¹Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine forth.

²Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might! Come to save us!

³Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

⁴Lord God of Hosts, How long will you be angry against the prayer of your people?

⁵You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure.

⁶You make us a source of contention to our neighbors. Our enemies laugh among themselves.

⁷Turn us again, God of Hosts. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

⁸You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations, and planted it.

⁹You cleared the ground for it. It took deep root, and filled the land.

¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its boughs were like God's cedars.

¹¹It sent out its branches to the sea, Its shoots to the River.

¹²Why have you broken down its walls, so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?

¹³The boar out of the wood ravages it. The wild animals of the field feed on it.

¹⁴Turn again, we beg you, God of Hosts. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,

¹⁵the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself.

¹⁶It's burned with fire. It's cut down. They perish at your rebuke.

¹⁷Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.

¹⁸So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name.

¹⁹Turn us again, Lord God of Hosts. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

¹Doesn't wisdom cry out? Doesn't understanding raise her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she stands.

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entry doors, she cries aloud:

⁴"To you men, I call! I send my voice to the sons of mankind.

⁵You simple, understand prudence. You fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things.

⁷For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him who understands, right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction rather than silver; knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can't be compared to it.

¹²"I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

¹⁴Counsel and sound knowledge are mine. I have understanding and power.

¹⁵By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule; nobles, and all the righteous rulers of the earth.

¹⁷I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.

¹⁸With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries.

²²"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,

²⁸when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong,

²⁹when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men.

³²"Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise. Do not refuse it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.

³⁵For whoever finds me, finds life, and will obtain favor from the Lord.

³⁶But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death."