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!’”
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- 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
International Standard Version
God’s Seventh Complaint: Against His People—Slandering God
13 “You have spoken arrogant words against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What did we say against you?’ 14 You said, ‘It is futile to serve God,’ and, ‘What did we get out of it[a] when we carried out his requirements and went about like mourners in the presence of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies?’ 15 and, ‘Now we call the arrogant one blessed. Those who do evil prosper and those who challenge God escape the consequences.’”[b]
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- Malachi 3:14 Lit. What gain
- Malachi 3:15 The Heb. lacks the consequences
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