Malachi 3 Malachi 3
The messenger and the day of the Lord
I Will Send My Messenger (Matthew 11:7–19; Luke 7:24–35)
1 WBS Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he will come, saith the LORD of hosts. BSB BSB: “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts. 2 WBS But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. BSB BSB: But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
3 WBS And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. BSB BSB: And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.
4 WBS Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. BSB BSB: Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.
5 WBS And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right , and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. BSB BSB: “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Robbing God 6 WBS For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. BSB BSB: “Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
7 WBS Even from the days of your fathers ye have gone away from my ordinances, and have not kept them . Return to me, and I will return to you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, In what shall we return? BSB BSB: Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’
8 WBS Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, In what have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. BSB BSB: Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings.
9 WBS Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. BSB BSB: You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.
10 WBS Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it . BSB BSB: Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.
11 WBS And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. BSB BSB: I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts.
12 WBS And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. BSB BSB: “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of Hosts.
The Book of Remembrance 13 WBS Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? BSB BSB: “Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’
14 WBS Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? BSB BSB: You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?
15 WBS And now we call the proud happy; yes, they that work wickedness are set up; even they that tempt God are delivered. BSB BSB: So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”
16 WBS Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it , and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. BSB BSB: At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
17 WBS And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. BSB BSB: “They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.
18 WBS Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. BSB BSB: So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”