¹“Now, you priests, this commandment is for you.

¹In zdaj, o duhovniki, vam velja ta zapoved.

²If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name,” says Yahweh of Armies, “then will I send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.

²Ako nočete poslušati in ako ne boste imeli te skrbi v srcu, da bi dali čast mojemu imenu, pravi GOSPOD nad vojskami, pošljem prokletstvo med vas in prekolnem blagoslove vaše; saj sem jih že preklel, ker vas to ne skrbi v srcu.

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

³Glejte, jaz vam pokaram setev in namečem vam gnoja v obraz, gnoja vaših praznikov, in odneso vas ž njim vred.

⁴You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.

⁴In spoznate, da sem vam poslal to zapoved, da bi bila zaveza moja z Levijem, pravi GOSPOD nad vojskami.

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

⁵Zaveza moja je bila ž njim v življenje in mir, in dal sem mu jo za strah, in bal se je mene in trepetal spričo mojega imena.

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.

⁶Postava resnice je bila v ustih njegovih in krivica se mu ni našla v ustih; v miru in poštenosti je hodil z menoj in mnoge je preobrnil od krivičnosti.

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

⁷Kajti duhovnikove ustne morajo ohraniti spoznanje in iz njegovih ust naj prejemajo pouk o postavi, zakaj on je poslanec GOSPODA nad vojskami.

⁸But you have turned aside out of the way. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.

⁸A vi ste odstopili s pota, zakrivili ste, da so se mnogi spoteknili ob postavo; pokvarili ste zavezo Levijevo, pravi GOSPOD nad vojskami.

⁹“Therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according to the way you have not kept my ways, but have had respect for persons in the law.

⁹Zato sem tudi jaz vas izdal v preziranje in poniževanje vsemu ljudstvu, tako kakor se niste držali potov mojih in ste se ozirali po osebi v rabi postave.

¹⁰Don’t we all have one father? Hasn’t one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?

¹⁰Nimamo li vsi enega očeta? ni li nas ustvaril eden Bog? Zakaj ravnamo nezvesto vsak z bratom svojim, oskrunjajoč s tem očetov svojih zavezo?

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

¹¹Juda je nezvesto ravnal, in gnusoba se je počenjala v Izraelu in v Jeruzalemu; kajti Juda je oskrunil svetišče GOSPODOVO, ki Mu je drago, in se zaročil s hčerjo inostranskega boga.

¹²Yahweh will cut off, to the man who does this, him who wakes and him who answers, out of the tents of Jacob, and him who offers an offering to Yahweh of Armies.

¹²GOSPOD iztrebi moža, ki to dela, iz šatorov Jakobovih, njega, ki čuje, in njega, ki odgovarja, in njega, ki prinaša darilo GOSPODU nad vojskami.

¹³This again you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, because he doesn’t regard the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand.

¹³In vdrugič delate to: pokrivate oltar GOSPODOV s solzami, z jokom in zdihovanjem, tako da se nič več ne ozre na darilo, tudi ne sprejme iz roke vaše, kar mu nosite v blagougodje.

¹⁴Yet you say, ‘Why?’ Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant.

¹⁴Pa pravite: Zakaj? Zato ker je bil GOSPOD priča med teboj in ženo mladosti tvoje, proti kateri si nezvesto ravnal, ko je vendar druža tvoja in žena zaveze tvoje.

¹⁵Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

¹⁵Ali ju ni Edini ustvaril? in njegov je bil ostanek duha. In kaj je hotel Edini? Iskal je semena Božjega. Zato pazite na duha svojega in nihče ne ravnaj nezvesto proti ženi mladosti svoje!

¹⁶For I hate divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence!” says Yahweh of Armies. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don’t deal treacherously.

¹⁶Kajti sovražim razporoko, pravi GOSPOD, Bog Izraelov, in njega, ki pokriva obleko svojo s silovitostjo, pravi GOSPOD nad vojskami. Zato pazite na duha svojega, da ne ravnate nezvesto.Utrudili ste GOSPODA s svojimi besedami. Pa pravite: S čim smo ga utrudili? S tem, da govorite: Kdorkoli dela hudo, je dober v očeh GOSPODOVIH, in taki mu ugajajo; sicer – kje je Bog sodbe?

¹⁷You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and he delights in them;’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’

¹⁷Utrudili ste GOSPODA s svojimi besedami. Pa pravite: S čim smo ga utrudili? S tem, da govorite: Kdorkoli dela hudo, je dober v očeh GOSPODOVIH, in taki mu ugajajo; sicer – kje je Bog sodbe?