The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 And now, O you priests, this order is for you.
1
And now, O ye kohanim, this mitzvah is for you.
2 If you will not give ear and take it to heart, to give glory to my name, says the Lord of armies, then I will send the curse on you and will put a curse on your blessing: truly, even now I have put a curse on it, because you do not take it to heart.
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If ye will not hear, and if ye will not take it to lev, to give kavod unto My name, saith Hashem Tzva’os, I will even send a me’erah (curse) upon you, and I will curse your brakhot; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not take it to lev.
3 See, I will have your arm cut off, and will put waste on your faces, even the waste from your feasts; and you will be taken away with it.
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Hineni, I am rebuking your zera, and I will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your chagim; and it will take you away with it.
4 And you will be certain that I have sent this order to you, so that it might be my agreement with Levi, says the Lord of armies.
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And ye shall have da’as that I have sent this mitzvah unto you, that My brit might continue with Levi, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
5 My agreement with him was on my side life and peace, and I gave them to him; on his side fear, and he had fear of me and gave honour to my name.
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My brit was with him of chayyim and shalom; and I gave them to him that he might fear Me; so he feared Me, and stood in reverence before My name.
6 True teaching was in his mouth, and no evil was seen on his lips: he was walking with me in peace and righteousness, turning numbers of people away from evil-doing.
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Torat emes was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips: he walked with Me in shalom and yashrus, and did turn rabbim (many) away from avon (iniquity).
7 For it is right for the priest's lips to keep knowledge, and for men to be waiting for the law from his mouth: for he is the servant sent from the Lord of armies.
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For the kohen’s lips should preserve da’as, and they should seek torah at his mouth: for he is the malach Hashem Tzva’os.
8 But you are turned out of the way; you have made the law hard for numbers of people; you have made the agreement of Levi of no value, says the Lord of armies.
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But ye are departed out of HaDerech; ye have caused rabbim to fall into a michshol (stumbling block) at the torah (teaching); ye have corrupted the Brit of Levi saith Hashem Tzva’os.
9 And so I have taken away your honour and made you low before all the people, even as you have not kept my ways, and have given no thought to me in using the law.
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Therefore have I also made you contemptible and shefalim before kol HaAm because ye have not been shomrim of darkhei of Me, but have shown partiality in torah.
10 Have we not all one father? has not one God made us? why are we, every one of us, acting falsely to his brother, putting shame on the agreement of our fathers?
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Have we not all Av Echad? Hath not El Echad created us? Why do we commit chillul Brit Avoteinu by every man breaking faith with his brother?
11 Judah has been acting falsely, and a disgusting thing has been done in Jerusalem; for Judah has made unclean the holy place of the Lord which is dear to him, and has taken as his wife the daughter of a strange god.
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Yehudah hath broken faith, and a toeva (abomination) is committed in Yisroel and in Yerushalayim; for Yehudah hath committed chillul against the Beis Hamikdash Hashem loves, by marrying the bat el nekhar.
12 The Lord will have the man who does this cut off root and branch out of the tents of Jacob, and him who makes an offering to the Lord of armies.
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May Hashem cut off the man that doeth this, [offspring] awake and answering, from the ohalim of Ya’akov, that offereth a minchah unto Hashem Tzva’os.
13 And this again you do: covering the altar of the Lord with weeping and with grief, so that he gives no more thought to the offering, and does not take it with pleasure from your hand.
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And this too have ye done, covering the mizbe’ach of Hashem with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, because that He regardeth not the minchah any more, nor receiveth it with ratzon (good will) at your hand.
14 But you say, For what reason? Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your early years, to whom you have been untrue, though she is your friend and the wife to whom you have given your word.
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Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Hashem hath been ed (witness) between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, breaking faith: yet is she thy chaveret, and the wife of thy brit.
15 ... So give thought to your spirit, and let no one be false to the wife of his early years.
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And did not Hashem make echad? And the remnant of the ruach is Hashem’s. And why echad? That He might seek zera Elohim. Therefore be shomer of your ruach, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16 For I am against the putting away of a wife, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and against him who is clothed with violent acts, says the Lord of armies: so give thought to your spirit and do not be false in your acts.
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For Hashem Elohei Yisroel saith that He hateth putting away: for it covereth one’s garment with chamas (violence), saith the Hashem Tzva’os: therefore, be shomer of your ruach, that ye deal not treacherously, breaking faith.
17 You have made the Lord tired with your words. And still you say, How have we made him tired? By your saying, Everyone who does evil is good in the eyes of the Lord, and he has delight in them; or, Where is God the judge?
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Ye have wearied Hashem with your devarim. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Everyone that doeth rah is tov in the sight of Hashem, and in them Hashem finds chafetz; or, Where is Elohei HaMishpat?
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The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.