Malachi 3:13-16

Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency

3:13 “You have criticized me sharply,” ¹  says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’ 3:14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped ²  by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord who rules over all? ³  3:15 So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. ⁴  In fact, those who challenge ⁵  God escape!’”

3:16 Then those who respected ⁶  the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. ⁷  A scroll ⁸  was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

[3:13]  ¹ tn Heb “your words are hard [or “strong”] against me”; cf. NIV “said harsh things against me”; TEV, NLT “said terrible things about me.”

[3:14]  ² tn Heb “What [is the] profit”; NIV “What did we gain.”

[3:14]  ³ sn The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical.

[3:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “built up” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “prosper”; NLT “get rich.”

[3:15]  ⁵ tn Or “test”; NRSV, CEV “put God to the test.”

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”

[3:16]  ⁸ sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).