Malachi 3:13–4:2

^13g“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. ^hBut you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ ¹⁴You have said, ⁱ‘It is vain to serve God. ^jWhat is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? ¹⁵And now we call ^kthe arrogant blessed. ^kEvildoers not only prosper but ^lthey put God to the test and they escape.’ ”

The Book of Remembrance

¹⁶Then those who feared the Lord ^mspoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and ⁿa book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. ¹⁷“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, ^oin the day when I make up ^pmy treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸Then once more you shall ^qsee the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

The Great Day of the Lord

4¹ “For behold, ^rthe day is coming, ^sburning like an oven, when ^tall the arrogant and ^tall evildoers ^uwill be stubble. The day that is coming ^ushall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ²But for you ^vwho fear my name, ^wthe sun ^xof righteousness shall rise ^ywith healing in its wings. You shall go out ^zleaping like calves from the stall.