Malachi 2:17–3:6

The Special Day of Judging

¹⁷You have tired the Lord with your words.

You ask, “How have we tired him?”

You did it by saying, “The Lord thinks anyone who does evil is good, and he is pleased with them.” Or you asked, “Where is the God who is fair?”

3The Lord All-Powerful says, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way for me. Suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple; the messenger of the agreement, whom you want, will come.” ²No one can live through that time; no one can survive when he comes. He will be like a purifying fire and like laundry soap. ³Like someone who heats and purifies silver, he will purify the Levites and make them pure like gold and silver. Then they will bring offerings to the Lord in the right way. ⁴And the Lord will accept the offerings from Judah and Jerusalem, as it was in the past. ⁵The Lord All-Powerful says, “Then I will come to you and judge you. I will be quick to testify against those who take part in evil magic, adultery, and lying under oath, those who cheat workers of their pay and who cheat widows and orphans, those who are unfair to foreigners, and those who do not respect me.

Stealing from God

⁶“I the Lord do not change. So you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.