Malachi 3:13-4:3

Common English Bible

¹³You have spoken harshly about me,
says the Lord;
        but you say,
            “What have we spoken about you?”
¹⁴You said,
    “Serving God is useless.
    What do we gain by keeping his obligation
            or by walking around as mourners
            before the Lord of heavenly forces?
¹⁵So now we consider the arrogant fortunate.
        Moreover, those doing evil are built up;
            they test God and escape.”

The scroll of remembrance

¹⁶Then those revering the Lord,
    each and every one, spoke among themselves.
        The Lord paid attention and listened to them.
Then a scroll of remembrance was written before the Lord
        about those revering the Lord,
            the ones meditating on his name.
¹⁷On the day that I am preparing,
says the Lord of heavenly forces,
        they will be my special possession.
        I will spare them just as parents spare a child who serves them.
¹⁸You will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked,
        between those serving God and those not serving him.

The day of the Lord

4 ^[a] Look, the day is coming,
        burning like an oven.
All the arrogant ones and all those doing evil will become straw.
    The coming day will burn them,
says the Lord of heavenly forces,
        leaving them neither root nor branch.
²But the sun of righteousness will rise on those revering my name;
        healing will be in its wings
            so that you will go forth and jump about like calves in the stall.
³You will crush the wicked;
        they will be like dust beneath the soles of your feet
            on the day that I am preparing,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.