Malachi 1:1-2:7.

This week's haftorah opens with a mention of the tremendous love G‑d harbors for the children of Jacob, and the retribution He will visit upon the children of Esau who persecuted their cousins. This follows the theme of this week's Torah reading, whose two protagonists are Jacob and Esau.

The prophet Malachi then rebukes the kohanim (priests) who offer blemished and emaciated animals on G‑d's altar: "Were you to offer it to your governor, would he be pleased or would he favor you? . . . O that there were even one among you that would close the doors [of the Temple] and that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain!"

The haftorah ends with a strong enjoinder to the kohanim to return to the original covenant that G‑d had made with their ancestor, Aaron the High Priest. "True teaching was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. In peace and equity he went with Me, and he brought back many from iniquity."

Nutshell for "Machar Chodesh" Haftorah

When Shabbat falls on the day before Rosh Chodesh, the head of the Jewish new month, as is the case this week, we read a special haftorah that begins with the words "machar chodesh" — "[And Jonathan told David,] 'Tomorrow is the new moon...'" instead of the above one.

I Samuel 20:18-42.

David, King Saul's son-in-law, fears that his father-in-law views him as competition for his throne, and wishes to have him killed. David enlists his dear friend Jonathan, Saul's son, to ascertain whether indeed Saul has such evil designs. Together they devise a plan, according to which David will be absent from the monthly new moon feast hosted by Saul. At this feast, Jonathan will discover Saul's true intentions with regards to David. Jonathan and David will then rendezvous at a predetermined meeting point where Jonathan will convey to David whether he should return to the royal household or flee.

When everyone is seated at the royal feast, the king notices David's absence and asks Jonathan for his whereabouts. When told that he has gone to Bethlehem to be with his family, the king becomes furious, telling Jonathan to fetch David as he is condemned to death. "And Jonathan knew that it had been decided upon by his father to put David to death."

Jonathan leaves the royal table in anger. The next morning he travels to David's hiding place and the two separate amidst an emotional farewell, promising each other eternal devotion and friendship.