Judgment at the Lord’s Coming

¹⁷ You have wearied the Lord^(A) with your words.

Yet you ask, “How have we wearied him?”

When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and he is delighted with them,^(B) or else where is the God of justice?” ^(C)

3 “See, I am going to send my messenger,^(A) and he will clear the way before me.^(B) Then the Lord you seek^(C) will suddenly come to his temple,^(D) the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. ² But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears?^(E) For he will be like a refiner’s fire^(F) and like launderer’s bleach.^{[a](G) 3} He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.^(H) Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. ⁴ And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old^(I) and years gone by.

⁵ “I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the resident alien.^(J) They do not fear me,”^(K) says the Lord of Armies. ⁶ “Because I, the Lord, have not changed,^(L) you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.^[b](M)

Robbing God

⁷ “Since the days of your ancestors, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them.^(N) Return to me,^(O) and I will return to you,”^(P) says the Lord of Armies.

Yet you ask, “How can we return?”

⁸ “Will a man rob^(Q) God? Yet you are robbing me!”

“How do we rob you?” you ask.

“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.^{(R) 9} You are suffering under a curse, yet^[c] you—the whole nation—are still robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the full tenth into the storehouse^(S) so that there may be food in my house.^(T) Test me in this way,”^(U) says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven^(V) and pour out a blessing for you without measure.^{(W) 11} I will rebuke the devourer^[d](X) for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies. ¹² “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies.

The Righteous and the Wicked

¹³ “Your words against me are harsh,”^(Y) says the Lord.

Yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”

¹⁴ You have said, “It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping his requirements^(Z) and walking mournfully^(AA) before the Lord of Armies? ¹⁵ So now we consider the arrogant^(AB) to be fortunate.^(AC) Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God^(AD) and escape.”^(AE)

¹⁶ At that time those who feared the Lord spoke to one another. The Lord took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance^(AF) was written before him for those who feared the Lord and had high regard for his name. ¹⁷ “They will be mine,” says the Lord of Armies,^(AG) “my own possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.^{(AH) 18} So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

The Day of the Lord

4 “For look, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says the Lord of Armies, “not leaving them root or branches. ² But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings,^(A) and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.^{[a] 3} You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the Lord of Armies.

A Final Warning

⁴ “Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb^(B) for all Israel. ⁵ Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah^(C) before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.^{(D) 6} And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.^(E) Otherwise, I will come and strike the land^[b] with a curse.”