¹And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

¹A tak teraz k vám toto prikázanie, vy, kňazi!

²If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

²Ak nebudete poslúchať a keď si toho nevezmete k srdcu, aby ste dali slávu môjmu menu, hovorí Hospodin Zástupov, pošlem na vás zlorečenstvo a budem zlorečiť vašim požehnaniam, a už aj som zlorečil každému z nich, lebo si toho neberiete k srdcu.

³Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away with it.

³Hľa, okríknem vám semeno a nakydám lajna na vašu tvár, lajná vašich sviatočných obetí, a odnesú vás k nemu.

⁴And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant may be with Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.

⁴A zviete, že som poslal na vás toto prikázanie, aby to bola moja smluva s Lévim, hovorí Hospodin Zástupov.

⁵My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name.

⁵Moja smluva bola s ním, smluva života a pokoja, a dal som mu to na bázeň, a bál sa ma a triasol sa pred mojím menom.

⁶The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity.

⁶Zákon pravdy bol v jeho ústach, a neprávosť sa nenašla v jeho rtoch, chodil so mnou v pokoji a úprimnosti a odvrátil mnohých od neprávosti.

⁷For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.

⁷Lebo rty kňaza majú ostríhať známosť, a zákon naučení budú hľadať z jeho úst! Lebo je poslom Hospodina Zástupov.

⁸But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.

⁸Ale vy ste vybočili s cesty a spôsobili ste to, že mnohí klesli v zákone, a porušili ste smluvu Léviho, hovorí Hospodin Zástupov.

⁹Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have had respect of persons in the law.

⁹Preto som i ja vás vydal, aby ste boli opovrhnutí a nízki všetkému ľudu podľa toho, jako vy neostríhate mojich ciest a hľadíte na osobu v zákone Božom.

¹⁰Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?

¹⁰Či azda nemáme všetci jedného a toho istého Otca? Či nás nestvoril jeden a ten istý silný Bôh? Prečo potom robíme neverne každý voči svojmu bratovi, aby sme poškvrňovali smluvu svojich otcov?

¹¹Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of Jehovah which he loveth, and hath married the daughter of a foreign god.

¹¹Zem Júdova robí neverne, a ohavnosť sa deje v Izraelovi i v Jeruzaleme; lebo Júda poškvrnil svätyňu Hospodinovu, ktorú miloval, a vzal si za ženu dcéru cudzieho boha.

¹²Jehovah will cut off, to the man that doeth this, him that waketh and him that answereth, out of the tents of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto Jehovah of hosts.

¹²Hospodin nech vyplieni mužovi, ktorý robí takú vec, toho, kto bdeje, toho, kto, odpovedá, zo stánov Jakobových i toho, kto donáša obetný dar obilný Hospodinovi Zástupov.

¹³And this again ye do: ye cover the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, neither receiveth it with good will at your hand.

¹³A toto už po druhé robíte, že pokrývate oltár Hospodinov slzami, plačom a vzdychaním, takže nebude viac toho, aby pozrel na obetný dar obilný alebo aby vzal ľúbu obeť z vašej ruky.

¹⁴Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Jehovah hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

¹⁴A hovoríte: Pre jakú príčinu? Pre takú, že Hospodin je svedkom medzi tebou a medzi ženou tvojej mladosti, voči ktorej si sa ty dopustil nevery, kým je ona tvojou družkou a ženou tvojej smluvy.

¹⁵And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

¹⁵A či neučinil obidvoch jedno? A je aj ostatok ducha jeho. A čo ten jeden? Hľadal semeno Božie. - A tak sa budete chrániť vo svojom duchu, a proti žene svojej mladosti nech sa niktorý nedopustí nevery.

¹⁶For I hate putting away, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith Jehovah of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

¹⁶Lebo nenávidím rozvodu, hovorí Hospodin, Bôh Izraelov, ako i toho, kto pokrýva ukrutnosťou svoje rúcho, hovorí Hospodin Zástupov. Preto sa chráňte vo svojom duchu a nerobte neverne!

¹⁷Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of Jehovah, and he delighteth in them; or where is the God of justice?

¹⁷Unavujete Hospodina svojimi slovami a hovoríte: Čím unavujeme? Tým, že hovoríte: Každý, i ten, kto robí zlé, je dobrý v očiach Hospodinových, a má v nich vo všetkých záľubu, alebo kdeže je vraj Bôh súdu?