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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 3:16 tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”
  2. Malachi 3:16 tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Malachi 3:18 tn Heb “you will see between.” Cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “see the difference.”

16 Then those who ·honored [feared] the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened and heard them. The names of those who ·respected [feared] the Lord and honored ·him [L his name] were written in his presence in a ·book to be remembered [scroll of remembrance].

17 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says, “They ·belong to me [shall be mine]; on that day they will be my ·very own [treasured possession; special treasure]. As a ·parent [father] ·shows mercy to [spares] his ·child [son] who serves him, I will ·show mercy to [spare] my people. 18 You will again see the difference between ·good [the righteous] and ·evil people [the wicked], between those who serve God and those who don’t.

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