Translation
And yet you say, “Why?” “Because YHVH is a witness between you and the wife of your youth
Go to footnote numberagainst whom you have acted treacherously,
Go to footnote numbereven though she is knit together with you because you share so many similarities
Go to footnote numberand is your wife by covenant.”
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
And yet you ask, “Why does God reject our offerings?” The answer is this: “THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD has seen what you have done and has chosen to testify against you and in favor of the wife you are supposedly very close to because you have acted deceitfully against her, even though, supposedly, the two of you are inextricably bound together and have so much in common and even though you committed in the most serious way to being her husband.”
Footnotes
1
The phrase “the wife of your youth” was used to point to a close, well established relationship involving strong commitments. It was much more than a statement about how long a couple had been married; instead, it was a picture of a solid and healthy relationship, or one that gives every appearance of being one.
2
The primary ideas expressed by this word are treachery and deceit. It involves an act of deceit for the purpose of personal gain at the expense of the other, with whom there is supposedly a close relationship.
3
This word conveys two main ideas: being knit closely together: and sharing many similarities. It is a picture of a very close relationship between two people whose souls beat as one. It was used of close friendships between people of the same gender, or of a close marriage relationship.
4
My translation refers to the wife, but my paraphrase refers to the husband.