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Malachi 1:9
ESV And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts.
NIV Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?'--says the LORD Almighty.
NASB But now, do indeed plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us. With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?' says the Lord of armies.
CSB "And now plead for God's favor. Will he be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will he show any of you favor? " asks the Lord of Armies.
NLT Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?' asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
KJV And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.

What does Malachi 1:9 mean?

Malachi is criticizing the priests for offering improper sacrifices to God. In fact, what they are offering is explicitly forbidden by Old Testament Law. Even worse than that, these animals are flawed enough that even other people would reject them as an offering (Malachi 1:8). This is part of the first message of this prophecy, accusing Israel's priesthood of being disrespectful and indifferent towards God.

Here, Malachi asks a rhetorical question. Of course, if one brings an insulting offering, they can't expect the favor of God. Part of Israel's spiritual problem at this point in history is bitterness. They have been defeated by foreign nations, and are suffering economic troubles. Rather than look at the entire context of their covenant with God, the Jewish people are blaming God for their mistakes. They have even begun to forget all God has done to preserve them from destruction (Malachi 1:2). This accusation is part of their hardship: they're "despising" God and His temple, but demanding that He favor them at the same time.
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