Malachi 3:13-4:6

New American Standard Bible

¹³ “Your words have been ^[a]arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ ¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is ^(A)pointless to serve God; and what ^(B)benefit is it for us that we have done what He required, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of armies? ¹⁵ So now we ^(C)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also put God to the test and ^(D)escape punishment.’”

The Book of Remembrance

¹⁶ Then those who ^[b]feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord ^(E)listened attentively and heard it, and a ^(F)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who ^[c]fear the Lord and esteem His name. ¹⁷ “And they will be ^(G)Mine,” says the Lord of armies, “on the ^(H)day that I ^[d]prepare My ^(I)own possession, and I will have compassion for them just as a man ^(J)has compassion for his own son who serves him.” ¹⁸ So you will again ^(K)distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Final Admonition

4 “^[e]For behold, the day is coming, ^(L)burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be ^(M)chaff; and the day that is coming will ^(N)set them ablaze,” says the Lord of armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branches. ² But for you who ^[f]fear My name, the ^(O)sun of righteousness will rise with ^(P)healing in its wings; and you will go forth and ^(Q)frolic like calves from the stall. ³ And you will ^(R)crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be ^(S)ashes under the soles of your feet ^(T)on the day ^[g]that I am preparing,” says the Lord of armies.

⁴ “^(U)Remember the Law of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “Behold, I am going to send you ^(V)Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. ⁶ He will ^(W)turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and ^(X)strike the land with complete destruction.”