Malachi 2:17–3:6

Judgment at the Lord’s Coming

¹⁷You have wearied the Lord ^ewith your words.

Yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?”

When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and He is pleased with them,” ^for “Where is the God of justice?” ^g

3“See, I am going to send My messenger, ^hand he will clear the way before Me. ⁱThen the Lord you seek ^jwill suddenly come to His temple, ^kthe Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts. ²But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears? ^lFor He will be like a refiner’s fire ^mand like cleansing lye. ⁿ³He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. ^oThen they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. ⁴And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old ^pand years gone by.

⁵“I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. ^qThey do not fear Me,” ^rsays the Lord of Hosts. ⁶“Because I, Yahweh, have not changed, ^syou descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. ^t