Malachi 3:13-15
New English Translation
Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency
13 “You have criticized me sharply,”[a] says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped[b] by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord of Heaven’s Armies?[c] 15 So now we consider the arrogant to be blessed; indeed, those who practice evil are successful.[d] In fact, those who challenge[e] God escape!’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Malachi 3:13 tn Heb “your words are hard [or “strong”] against me”; cf. NIV “said harsh things against me”; TEV, NLT “said terrible things about me.”
- Malachi 3:14 tn Heb “What [is the] profit”; NIV “What did we gain.”
- Malachi 3:14 sn The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical.
- Malachi 3:15 tn Heb “built up” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “prosper”; NLT “get rich.”
- Malachi 3:15 tn Or “test”; NRSV, CEV “put God to the test.”
Malachi 3:13-15
Expanded Bible
The Lord’s Promise of Mercy
13 The Lord says, “You have said ·terrible things about [L hard things against] me.
“But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’
14 “You have said, ‘It is ·useless [futile] to serve God. ·It did no good to obey [L What profit is there to keep] his laws and to ·show that we were sorry [L walk about in mourning] for what we did before the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 15 So we say that proud people are ·happy [blessed]. Evil people ·succeed [prosper]. They ·challenge [test] God and ·get away with it [escape harm].’”
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