Malachi 3:5
3 And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.
4 Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
6 “Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
7 Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
- KJV
- And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
- WEB
- I will come near to you to judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says the LORD of Armies.
- ASV
- And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
- DARBY
- And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hired servant in [his] wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
- BLB
- “And I will come near to you⁺ for the judgment, and I will be a witness making haste against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those swearing to a lie, and against those oppressing the wage of the hireling, the widow and the fatherless, and against those stretching away a sojourner, and not they do fear me,” says YHWH of Hosts.
- ÅB
- Og jeg vil komme til dere og holde dom og være et hastig vitne mot trollkarene og horkarlene og dem som sverger falsk, og mot dem som forholder dagarbeideren hans lønn og gjør vold mot enken og den farløse, og som bøyer retten for den fremmede og ikke frykter meg, sier Herren, hærskarenes Gud;
- OTB
- "Og jeg vil komme nær til dere for dom; og jeg vil være et raskt vitne mot trollmennene, mot ekteskapsbryterne, mot falske edsavleggere, og mot dem som undertrykker dagarbeideren i hans lønn, enken og den farløse, og som vender den fremmede bort fra hans rett, og som ikke frykter meg," sier Herren, hærskarenes Gud.
- B1930
- Og jeg vil komme til eder og holde dom og være et hastig vidne mot trollkarene og horkarlene og dem som sverger falsk, og mot dem som forholder dagarbeideren hans lønn og gjør vold mot enken og den farløse, og som bøier retten for den fremmede og ikke frykter mig, sier Herren, hærskarenes Gud;
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
James 5:8–9
You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
Read in contextHebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 5:11
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Read in contextJames 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 27:19
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Read in contextMalachi 2:14
Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
Read in contextGalatians 5:19–21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
Read in context1 Corinthians 6:9–10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,
Read in context