Malachi 1:1-3

New Living Translation

1 This is the message^[a] that the Lord gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi.^[b]

The Lord’s Love for Israel

² “I have always loved you,” says the Lord.

But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?”

And the Lord replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, ³ but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”