Malachi 1:2-4

Easy-to-Read Version

God Loves Israel

²The Lord said, “I love you people.”

But you said, “What shows you love us?”

The Lord said, “Esau was Jacob’s brother, but I chose^[a] Jacob. ³And I did not accept^[b] Esau. I destroyed his hill country.^[c] His country was destroyed, and now only wild dogs^[d] live there.”

⁴The people of Edom might say, “We were destroyed, but we will go back and rebuild our cities.”

But the Lord All-Powerful says, “If they rebuild their cities, I will destroy them again.” That is why people say Edom is an evil country—a nation the Lord hates forever.

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Footnotes

Malachi 1:2 chose Or “loved.”
Malachi 1:3 did not accept Or “hated.”
Malachi 1:3 his hill country This means the country of Edom. Edom was another name for Esau.
Malachi 1:3 wild dogs Literally, “jackals.”