Malachi 3:16-18
New English Translation
16 Then those who respected[a] the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice.[b] A scroll[c] was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name. 17 “They will belong to me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “in the day when I prepare my own special property.[d] I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between[e] the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Malachi 3:16 tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”
- Malachi 3:16 tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”
- Malachi 3:16 sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).
- Malachi 3:17 sn The Hebrew word סְגֻלָּה (segullah, “special property”) is a technical term referring to all the recipients of God’s redemptive grace, especially Israel (Exod 19:5; Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18). The Lord says here that he will not forget even one individual in the day of judgment and reward.
- Malachi 3:18 tn Heb “you will see between.” Cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “see the difference.”
Malachi 3:16-18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Reward of the Faithful
16 Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name.(A) 17 They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them.(B) 18 Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.(C)
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