Malachi 2:4

When these things happened, the priests would know that this warning had indeed come from the Lord. Its intent was to purify the priests so God’s covenant with Levi could continue (cf. Malachi 3:3). This is the first of six explicit references to "covenant" in Malachi. The covenants in view are God’s covenant with Levi (Malachi 2:4-5; Malachi 2:8), the Mosaic Covenant (Malachi 2:10), the marriage covenant (Malachi 2:14), and the New Covenant (Malachi 3:1). God had promised a continuing line of priests from Levi’s branch of the Chosen People (Deuteronomy 33:8-11; cf. Exodus 32:25-29; Numbers 3:12; Numbers 25:10-13; Nehemiah 13:29; Jeremiah 33:21-22). [Note: For an excursus on the Levitical Covenant, see ibid., pp. 296-306.]