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

¹And now, to you [is] this charge, O priests,

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.

²If ye hearken not, and if ye lay [it] not to heart, To give honour to My name, said Jehovah of Hosts, I have sent against you the curse, And I have cursed your blessings, Yea, I have also cursed it, Because ye are not laying [it] to heart.

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

³Lo, I am pushing away before you the seed, And have scattered dung before your faces, Dung of your festivals, And it hath taken you away with it.

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

⁴And ye have known that I have sent unto you this charge, For My covenant being with Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

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.

⁵My covenant hath been with him of life and of peace, And I make them to him a fear, and he doth fear Me, And because of My name he hath been affrighted.

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.

⁶The law of truth hath been in his mouth, And perverseness hath not been found in his lips, In peace and in uprightness he walked with Me, And many he brought back from iniquity.

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

⁷For the lips of a priest preserve knowledge, And law they do seek from his mouth, For a messenger of Jehovah of Hosts he [is].

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

⁸And ye, ye have turned from the way, Ye have caused many to stumble in the law, Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

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.

⁹And I also, I have made you despised and low before all the people, Because ye are not keeping My ways, And are accepting persons in the law.

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?

¹⁰Have we not all one father? Hath not our God prepared us? Wherefore do we deal treacherously, Each against his brother, To pollute the covenant of our fathers?

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.

¹¹Dealt treacherously hath Judah, And abomination hath been done in Israel, and in Jerusalem, For polluted hath Judah the holy thing of Jehovah, That He hath loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

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.

¹²Cut off doth Jehovah the man who doth it, Tempter and tempted — from the tents of Jacob, Even he who is bringing nigh a present to Jehovah of Hosts.

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.

¹³And this a second time ye do, Covering with tears the altar of Jehovah, With weeping and groaning, Because there is no more turning unto the present, Or receiving of a pleasing thing from your hand.

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.

¹⁴And ye have said, `Wherefore?` Because Jehovah hath testified between thee And the wife of thy youth, That thou hast dealt treacherously against her, And she thy companion, and thy covenant-wife.

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.

¹⁵And He did not make one [only], And He hath the remnant of the Spirit. And what [is] the one [alone]! He is seeking a godly seed. And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And with the wife of thy youth, None doth deal 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!

¹⁶For [I] hate sending away, said Jehovah, God of Israel, And He [who] hath covered violence with his clothing, said Jehovah of Hosts, And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And ye do not deal treacherously.

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?

¹⁷Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words, And ye have said: `In what have we wearied Him?` In your saying: `Every evil-doer [is] good in the eyes of Jehovah, And in them He is delighting,` Or, `Where [is] the God of judgment?`