And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
If 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.
Behold, I will rebuke {Or, as otherwise read, your arm}your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away {Or, unto}with it.
And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant may be with Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.
My 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.
The 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.
For 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.
But 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.
Therefore 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.
Have 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?
Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the {Or, sanctuary}holiness of Jehovah which he loveth, and hath married the daughter of a foreign god.
Jehovah 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.
And this {Or, a second time}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.
Yet 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.
{Or, And not one hath done so who had a residue of the spirit. Or what? is there one that seeketh a godly seed?}And 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.
For {Hebrew: he hateth.}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.
Ye 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?
Querverweise zu Maleachi 2,16 Mal 2,16
When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.
And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;
her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Jehovah: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper:But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
Thus saith Jehovah, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away.
For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
It was said also, {Deuteronomy 24:1, 3}Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery.
The godly man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
And there came unto him {Many authorities, some ancient insert the.}Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
And he answered and said, Have ye not read, {Genesis 1:27; verse 2.}that he who {Some ancient authorities read created.}made them from the beginning made them male and female,
and said, {Genesis 2:24.}For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?
So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
They say unto him, {Deuteronomy 24:1-4.}Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so.
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, {Some ancient authorities read saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: as in chapter 5:32.}except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: {The following words, to the end of the verse, are omitted by some ancient authorities.}and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.
{Or, Both hands are put forth for evil to do it &c.}Their hands are upon that which is evil to do it diligently; the prince asketh, and the judge is ready for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth the evil desire of his soul: thus they weave it together.
And there came unto him Pharisees, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? trying him.
And he answered and said unto them, {Deuteronomy 24:1, 3.}What did Moses command you?
And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female made he them.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, {Some ancient authorities omit and shall cleave to his wife.}and shall cleave to his wife;
and the two shall become one flesh: so that they are no more two, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
And in the house the disciples asked him again of this matter.
And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her:
and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery.
Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery.