Malachi 3
3
1Look! I am sending my messenger,#3:1. Malachi means “my messenger.” and he will prepare the way for me. The Lord you are seeking#3:1. In the light of the previous verses, the idea that God is being sought is surely ironic. will suddenly arrive at his Temple. The messenger of the agreement you say is so happy with you#3:1. “You say is so happy with you”: referring back to 2:17. is coming, says the Lord Almighty. 2Who can survive the day when he comes? Who can stand before him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing furnace that refines metal, or like the strong alkali that cleanses stains. 3He will sit down like a refiner who purifies silver; he will purify Levi's descendants and refine them like gold and silver so they can present pure offerings to the Lord. 4Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as they did in the old days, in the former years. 5I will come and put you on trial. I am ready to be a witness against those who:
practice witchcraft
commit adultery
tell lies
give false evidence
cheat employees
oppress widows and orphans
abuse foreigners
and do not respect me, says the Lord Almighty. 6For I am the Lord, I don't change, and you haven't stopped being descendants of Jacob.#3:6. There is debate over the meaning of this second part of the verse. It could be interpreted that it is because of God's unchanging nature that the descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. However, in context it seems more likely that God is saying “I haven't changed, and you haven't changed either—you are just like your forefather Jacob who was a deceiver too…” The word used can mean either “ended as in destroyed,” or simply “stopped.” 7From the time of your forefathers onward, you have turned away from my laws and not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.
But you ask, “How should we return?”#3:7. The sense seems to be that the people do not see any necessity to return, not recognizing they have done anything wrong.
8Should people defraud God? Yet you are defrauding me!#3:8. “Defraud”: this is closer to the original meaning than rob. It also continues the theme of the people being descendants of the deceiver Jacob, who defrauded his brother out of his birthright.
But you ask, “How have we defrauded you?”
In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse, for you and the whole nation are defrauding me. 10Bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there will be food in my Temple. Put me to the test in this, says the Lord Almighty, and I will open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won't have enough room for it. 11I will prevent locusts#3:11. Literally, “the devourer.” from destroying your crops, and your vineyards will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord Almighty. 12All nations will call you blessed because you live in such a wonderful land, says the Lord Almighty.
13You have said hard things about me, says the Lord.
But you say, “What have we said against you?” 14You have said, “What's the point of serving God? What benefit is there in keeping his commandments or going before the Lord Almighty with long faces?#3:14. “Long faces”: literally, “as mourners”—however it does not appear that the people were sincerely repentant. 15From now on we'll say that the proud are blessed. Evil people do well, and nothing happens when they dare God to punish them.”
16Then those who truly respected the Lord spoke to each other, and the Lord heard what they said. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence of those who respected the Lord and paid attention to him.#3:16. “Paid attention to him”: literally, “pondered his name.” 17They shall be mine, says the Lord Almighty, my prized possession on the day when I take action. I will treat them kindly, as a father treats an obedient son. 18Then you will once again be able to distinguish those who do right from those who do wrong, between those who serve him and those who don't.
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Malachi 3: FBV
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Malachi 3
3
My Messenger is Coming
1“Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Suddenly He will come to His Temple —the Lord whom you seek— and the Messenger of the covenant —the One whom you desire— behold, He is coming,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
2But who can endure the day of His coming? Or who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, and like soap for cleaning raw wool.
3And He will sit as a smelter or a purifier of silver, and He will cleanse the sons of Levi, and purify them like gold or silver. Then they will become for Adonai those who present an offering in righteousness.
4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Adonai, as in days of antiquity and years of old.
5“Then I will draw near to you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers those who extort a worker’s wage, or oppress the widow or an orphan, those who mislead a stranger. They do not fear Me,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
6“For I am Adonai. I do not change, So you, children of Jacob, are not consumed.
Bring the Whole Tithe
7“From the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from My statutes, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. Yet you say: “How should we return?”
8“Will a man rob God? For you are robbing Me!” But you say: “How have we robbed You?” “In the tithe and the offering.
9You have been cursed with the curse, yet you keep robbing Me—the whole nation!
10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Then there will be food in My House. Now test Me in this”—says Adonai-Tzva’ot—“if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out blessing for you, until no one is without enough.
11I will rebuke the devouring pest for you, so it will not destroy the fruit of your land, nor will your vine be barren in the field,” Adonai-Tzva’ot says.
12“All the nations will call you blessed. For you will be a land of delight,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
13“Your words against Me are grievous,” says Adonai. Yet you say: “What did we say against You?”
14You say: “Serving God is worthless.” Also: “What good is it that we kept His service or that we walked as mourners before Adonai-Tzva’ot?
15So now we are calling the proud blessed. Those who practice iniquity are built up. Indeed, they have tested God, and escaped!”
16Then those who revere Adonai spoke with each other, and Adonai took notice and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written before Him, for those who revere Adonai, even those who esteem His Name.
17“So they shall be Mine,”—says Adonai-Tzva’ot—“ in the day I make My own special possession. So I will spare them, as one spares his son serving him.
18Then you will return and distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
The Day Is Coming
19“For behold, the day is coming —it will burn like a furnace— when all the proud and every evildoer will become stubble. The day that is coming will set them ablaze” —says Adonai-Tzva’ot— “leaving them neither root nor branch.”
20“But for you who revere My Name, the sun of righteousness will rise, with healing in its wings. Then you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
21You will trample on the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I am making,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
22“Remember the Torah of Moses My servant, whom I commanded at Horeb—statutes and ordinances for all Israel.
23“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of Adonai.
24He will turn the hearts of fathers to the children, and the hearts of children to their fathers—else I will come and strike the land with utter destruction.”
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