Bible Question

[Michael The Disciple]

In Malachi chapter 3 we find this prophecy.




1: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. Mal. 3:1

Yet when it is referenced in the New Testament we find:

2: As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Mark 1:2 in apparent reference to Mal. 3:1

10: For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Matt. 11:10

These references from the gospels do not seem to match the scripture from Malachi as given through the Massoretic Text.

Here is the Malachi verse from the Septuagint version:

1 “Behold, I send forth My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you take pleasure in: behold, He is coming,” says the Lord Almighty.

While this agrees with the Massoretic Text it still does not seem to match the quotation of it in the Gospels.

The question is therefore what Version of the Tanakh did the early Church use since what they referenced does not agree with what we are reading?