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Malachi 3
Legacy Standard Bible

The Messenger and the Lord

3 “(A)Behold, I am going to send (B)My [a]messenger, and he will [b](C)prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; [c]and the [d](D)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 “But who can (E)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a (F)smelter’s fire and like [e]fullers’ soap. 3 And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will (G)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may (H)present to Yahweh [f]offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the [g]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be (I)pleasing to Yahweh as in the (J)ancient days and as in former years.

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (K)sorcerers and against the (L)adulterers and against those who (M)swear falsely and against those who oppress the (N)wage earner in his wages, the (O)widow and the [h]orphan, and those who turn aside the (P)sojourner and do not [i]fear Me,” says Yahweh of hosts. 6 “For [j]I, Yahweh, (Q)do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, [k]are not consumed.

You Have Robbed God

7 “From the (R)days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. (S)Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

8 “Will a man [l]rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In (T)tithes and [m]contributions. 9 You are (U)cursed with a curse, for you are [n]robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 (V)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be [o]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not (W)open for you the windows of heaven and (X)empty out for you a blessing until [p](Y)it is beyond enough. 11 Then I will rebuke the (Z)devourer for you so that it will not corrupt the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field [q]fail to bear,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “(AA)So all the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a (AB)delightful land,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Arrogant Words

13 “Your words have been strong against Me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is (AC)worthless to serve God; and what (AD)gain is it that we have kept His charge and that we have walked in mourning before Yahweh of hosts? 15 So now we (AE)call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and (AF)escape.’”

The Book of Remembrance

16 Then those who [r]feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh (AG)gave heed and heard it, and a (AH)book of remembrance was written before Him for those who [s]fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. 17 “And they will be (AI)Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the (AJ)day that I [t]prepare My [u](AK)own treasured possession, and I will [v]spare them as a man [w](AL)spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will return and (AM)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  2. Malachi 3:1 Or clear
  3. Malachi 3:1 Or even
  4. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  5. Malachi 3:2 Lit laundrymen’s
  6. Malachi 3:3 Or grain offerings
  7. Malachi 3:4 Or grain offering
  8. Malachi 3:5 Or fatherless
  9. Malachi 3:5 Or reverence
  10. Malachi 3:6 Or I am Yahweh; I do not
  11. Malachi 3:6 Or have not come to an end
  12. Malachi 3:8 Or defraud
  13. Malachi 3:8 Or heave offerings
  14. Malachi 3:9 Or defrauding
  15. Malachi 3:10 Lit prey
  16. Malachi 3:10 Or there is not room enough
  17. Malachi 3:11 Lit be bereaved
  18. Malachi 3:16 Or reverence(d)
  19. Malachi 3:16 Or reverence(d)
  20. Malachi 3:17 Lit make
  21. Malachi 3:17 Or special treasure
  22. Malachi 3:17 Or have compassion on
  23. Malachi 3:17 Or has compassion on
Close EHV

Malachi 3
Evangelical Heritage Version

An Oracle From the Lord About the Messiah

3 Look! I am sending my messenger![a] He will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord, whom you are seeking, will come to his temple! The Messenger of the Covenant,[b] in whom you delight, will surely come, says the Lord of Armies.

2 But who can endure the day when he comes? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like launderers bleach![c] 3 He will be seated like a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and like silver. They will belong to the Lord and bring him an offering in righteousness.

4 Judah and Jerusalem’s offerings will be pleasing to the Lord as they were in the days of old, in years long ago.

5 I will approach you to judge you. I will be quick to give testimony against those who practice occult arts, those who commit adultery, those who swear false oaths, those who cheat workers out of their wages, those who wrong a widow and a fatherless child, those who turn away a resident alien—all those who do not fear me, says the Lord of Armies.

6 Certainly I, the Lord, do not change. That is why you, sons of Jacob, have not come to an end. 7 Since the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies.

You say, “In what way should we return?”

8 Will a man rob God? You are robbing me!

You say, “How have we robbed you?”

In regard to the tithe and the special offering.[d] 9 You are being cursed since all of you, the whole nation, are robbing me. 10 Bring the complete tithe to the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Just test me in this, says the Lord of Armies. See whether I do not open for you the windows[e] of heaven and pour down blessing on you, until there is more than enough. 11 I will restrain the devouring swarm so that it will not destroy your produce from your soil. Your vine in the field will not be without fruit, says the Lord of Armies. 12 All the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of Armies.

13 Your words against me are harsh, says the Lord.

You ask, “How have we spoken against you?” 14 You say, “Serving God is pointless. What have we gained by carefully keeping his requirements and by walking around like mourners before the Lord of Armies? 15 Now we will call the arrogant blessed. Even evildoers are built up. They even test God and get away with it.”

Israel’s Response

16 Then those who fear the Lord spoke with each other. The Lord gave them his attention and listened. A book of remembrance was written in front of him for those who fear the Lord and have regard for his name.

17 They will be mine, says the Lord of Armies, on the day I make them my treasured possession. I will spare them just as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then you will again see the distinction between a righteous person and a wicked person, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

Footnotes

  1. Malachi 3:1 This is fulfilled by John the Baptist.
  2. Malachi 3:1 Or the Angel of the Covenant. This refers to Christ, who is also called the Angel of the Lord.
  3. Malachi 3:2 Literally lye. Lye was used to bleach wool.
  4. Malachi 3:8 Or the elevated offering
  5. Malachi 3:10 Or floodgates
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Malachi 2
Malachi 4
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Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

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Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.