Malachi 3
New Living Translation
The Coming Day of Judgment
3 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.
5 “At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
A Call to Repentance
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.[a] Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord.
“But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’
14 “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? 15 From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”
The Lord’s Promise of Mercy
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.
17 “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Footnotes
- 3:11 Hebrew from the devourer.
Malachi 3
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh’s Messenger is Coming
3 “Look! I am going to send my messenger,[a] and he will prepare[b] the way before me.[c] And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 And who can endure the day of his coming? And who is the one who can stand when he appears?[d] For he is like a refiner’s fire, like launderers’ alkali.[e] 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the children of Levi, and he will refine them like gold and like silver, and they will present to Yahweh offerings[f] in righteousness. 4 And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh, like in the days of old and like in former years.
5 “Then I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely,[g] and against the oppressors of the hired worker with his wages, the widow and the orphan, and the abusers of[h] the alien,[i] and yet do not fear me,” says Yahweh of hosts.
An Overflowing Blessing
6 “For I, Yahweh, have not changed,[j] and you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.[k] 7 From the days of your ancestors[l] you have turned aside from my rules, and have not kept[m] them! Return to me and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “but you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 Will a human dare to rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In the tithes and the contributions! 9 You are being cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse,[n] so that there will be food in my house, and test me please in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour forth for you an overflowing blessing.[o] 11 I will rebuke the devourer[p] for you; it will not destroy the fruit of your soil; your vine in the field will not be unfruitful,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “And all the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a land in which one takes joy,”[q] says Yahweh of hosts. 13 “Your words have been harsh[r] against me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘How have we spoken together against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is useless[s] to serve God! What is the gain if we keep[t] his requirements, and if we walk as mourners before[u] Yahweh of hosts? 15 And now we are calling the arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!’”
A Book of Remembrance is Written
16 Then those who revered[v] Yahweh spoke with one another.[w] And Yahweh listened attentively[x] and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written before him[y] of those who revere[z] Yahweh and ponder his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I am acting, my treasured possession. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. 18 You will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.
Footnotes
- Malachi 3:1 Or “my angel”
- Malachi 3:1 Or “clear”
- Malachi 3:1 Literally “before my face”
- Malachi 3:2 Literally “at his appearing”
- Malachi 3:2 Or “lye,” or “soap”
- Malachi 3:3 Hebrew “offering”
- Malachi 3:5 Literally “as far as the falseness”
- Malachi 3:5 Literally “those pushing aside”
- Malachi 3:5 Or “sojourner”
- Malachi 3:6 Or “I do not change”
- Malachi 3:6 Or “are not destroyed”
- Malachi 3:7 Or “fathers”
- Malachi 3:7 Or “observed”
- Malachi 3:10 Hebrew “the house of the treasure”
- Malachi 3:10 Literally, “a blessing up to not enough”
- Malachi 3:11 NRSV, JPS interpret this word as “locust”
- Malachi 3:12 Literally “a land of desire”
- Malachi 3:13 Hebrew “strong”
- Malachi 3:14 Or “vain”
- Malachi 3:14 Or “observe”
- Malachi 3:14 Literally “from the face of”
- Malachi 3:16 Or “fear”
- Malachi 3:16 Literally “each with his friend/companion”
- Malachi 3:16 Or “gave heed”
- Malachi 3:16 Literally “to the face of him”
- Malachi 3:16 Or “fear”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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