Malachi 3:6-12

Expanded Bible

Stealing from God

⁶ “I the Lord do not change. So you descendants of Jacob have not been ·destroyed [consumed]. ⁷ ·Since the time [^LFrom the days] of your ·ancestors [fathers], you have ·disobeyed [turned away from; spurned] my ·rules [decrees; commands] and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts].

“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

⁸ “·Should [or Can] a person rob God? But you are robbing me.

“You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’

“You have robbed me in your offerings and ·the tenth of your crops [tithes]. ⁹ So a curse is on you, because the whole nation has robbed me. ¹⁰ Bring to the storehouse a full ·tenth of what you earn [tithe] so there will be food in my house [^Cthe temple; Deut. 14:22–28]. Test me in this,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts]. “I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need. ¹¹ I will stop the ·insects [pests; or plague; ^Lthe devourer] so they won’t ·eat [destroy] your crops. The grapes won’t ·fall from your vines before they are ready to pick [or fail to produce a crop],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts]. ¹² “All the nations will call you blessed, because you will have a ·pleasant country [delightful land],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts].