Judgment and Covenant Renewal

4 ^[a]“Surely the day is coming;^(A) it will burn like a furnace.^(B) All the arrogant^(C) and every evildoer will be stubble,^(D) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,^(E)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch^(F) will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name,^(G) the sun of righteousness^(H) will rise with healing^(I) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic^(J) like well-fed calves. ³ Then you will trample^(K) on the wicked; they will be ashes^(L) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

⁴ “Remember the law^(M) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb^(N) for all Israel.^(O)

⁵ “See, I will send the prophet Elijah^(P) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.^{(Q) 6} He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,^(R) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike^(S) the land with total destruction.”^(T)

Not Peace but Division^(A)

⁴⁹ “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(A) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(B) 8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^{(C) 9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(D) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(E)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[a] water for repentance.^(F) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit^(G) and fire.^{(H) 12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(I)

⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven^(A) in blazing fire^(B) with his powerful angels.^(C)

²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”^[a](A)