EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Malachi 3:5
5At that time, I will come among you as your judge. I will speak clearly against those who have done wrong things. I will punish the magicians, the adulterers and those who tell lies against other people. I will punish those people who are cruel to their workers, or they deceive widows or children who have no family. And I will punish those who do not help foreigners who live among them. People who do those things show that they do not respect me.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
Malachi 3:5 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.
Context of Malachi 3:5
3He will work like a man who uses a hot fire to make gold and silver pure. He will make the Levites clean and pure. He will remove their dirt. Then they can offer proper sacrifices to the Lord. 4The Lord will accept the gifts that the people of Judah and Jerusalem offer to him. He will be happy with them as he was in earlier times. At that time, I will come among you as your judge. I will speak clearly against those who have done wrong things. I will punish the magicians, the adulterers and those who tell lies against other people. I will punish those people who are cruel to their workers, or they deceive widows or children who have no family. And I will punish those who do not help foreigners who live among them. People who do those things show that they do not respect me.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says. 6‘I am the Lord and I do not change. Because of my promises to my people, I have not destroyed you, descendants of Jacob. 7I have told you my commands. But you do not listen to me any longer. You have not obeyed me, even since the time of your ancestors. Now, return to me! Then I will return to bless you.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says. ‘But you ask, “How do we return to you?”
Read all of Malachi 3Malachi 3:5 word by word
וְקָרַבְתִּ֣י אֲלֵיכֶם֮ לַמִּשְׁפָּט֒ וְהָיִ֣יתִי׀ עֵ֣ד מְמַהֵ֗ר בַּֽמְכַשְּׁפִים֙ וּבַמְנָ֣אֲפִ֔ים וּבַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖ים לַשָּׁ֑קֶר וּבְעֹשְׁקֵ֣י שְׂכַר־שָׂ֠כִיר אַלְמָנָ֨ה וְיָת֤וֹם וּמַטֵּי־גֵר֙ וְלֹ֣א יְרֵא֔וּנִי אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I will come nearקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
- to you to judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
- and I will be a swiftמָהַרmâhar · to hastenH4116
- witnessעֵד‛êd · witnessH5707
- against the sorcerersכָּשַׁףkâshaph · to practice sorceryH3784
- and against the adulterersנָאַףnâ'aph · to commit adulteryH5003
- and against falseשֶׁ֫קֶרsheqer · deceptionH8267
- swearersשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- and against those that oppressעָשַׁק‛âshaq · to oppressH6231
- the hirelingשָׂכִירώâkîyr · hiredH7916
- wagesשָׂכָרώâkâr · wagesH7939
- the widowאַלְמָנָה'almânâh · widowH490
- and the fatherlessיָתוֹםyâthôm · orphanH3490
- and that turn asideנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
- the strangerגֵּרgêr gêyr · sojournerH1616
- and fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
- not me, saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
Cross-references for Malachi 3:5
- Malachi 2:17The Lord has become tired as he listens to your words. You ask, ‘Why is he tired? What have we done to cause that?’ You say, ‘The Lord thinks that all people who do evil things are good! He does not punish them but he is happy with them.’ You also say, ‘God is not here to bring justice!’
- Psalms 50:3Our God is coming, and he does not come quietly! A fire burns up everything that is in front of him. There is a great storm all round him.
- Psalms 96:13They will sing to praise the Lord, for he will come to judge the earth. He is a fair judge. He will judge all the people of the world with his truth.
- Psalms 98:9to praise the Lord. He is coming to judge the earth. He is a fair judge. He will judge all the people of the world honestly.
- Ezekiel 34:20So this is what I, the Almighty Lord, say to the sheep: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep.
- Hebrews 10:30We know God and his message. And God said this: ‘I am the one who will punish people for their sins. I will give them the punishment that they ought to receive.’ God also said this: ‘The Lord will judge his people.’
- James 5:8You also must be patient, because the Lord will return soon. Be strong as you continue to trust him.
- Jude 1:14Long ago, Enoch also spoke about those false teachers. Enoch belonged to the seventh family that was born, starting with Adam. He said, ‘Look, the Lord will come with many thousands of his own angels.
- Malachi 2:14You ask, ‘Why is the Lord not happy with our gifts?’ The Lord knows that you men have not done the right thing with your wives. When you married as a young man, you promised to take care of your wife always. But you have sent her away, when the law says that you must stay with her as your wife.
- Psalms 50:7He says, ‘Listen to me, my people, and I will speak to you. I have something to say against you, Israel. I am God, your God.
- Psalms 81:8I said, “My people, listen to me! I warn you now. Listen carefully to me, Israel's people!
- Jeremiah 29:23That will happen to them because of the terrible sins that they have done in Israel. They have sex with the wives of their neighbours. They have used my name to tell lies. They have spoken messages that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done because I have seen it all.’ That is what the Lord says.
- Micah 1:2Listen, all of you people everywhere! Hear this, everyone who lives on the earth! The Lord God will speak against you. You have done what is wrong. That is why he will speak against you. He will speak from his special house.
- Matthew 23:14[It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You take things away from women after their husbands have died. You pray for a long time so that other people will praise you. God will punish you much more than other people.]
- Leviticus 20:6A person must not ask someone who does magic for help. They are turning away from the Lord. He will send them away from his people.
- Deuteronomy 5:11You must not speak the name of the Lord your God in a wrong way. The Lord will punish anyone who speaks his name in a wrong way.
Commentaries on Malachi 3:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5I will come near to you to judgment - And what fearful cases does he get to judge! Sorcerers, adulterers, false swearers, defrauders of the wages of the hireling, oppressors of widows and orphans, and perverters of the stranger and such as do not fear the Lord: a horrible crew; and the land at that time was full of them. Several were converted under the preaching of Christ and his apostles, and the rest the Romans destroyed or carried into captivity.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And I will come near to you to judgment - They had clamored for the coming of “the God of judgment;” God assures them that He will come to judgment, which they had desired, but far other than they look for. The few would be purified; the great mass of them (so that He calls them “you”), the main body of those who had so clamored, would find that He came as a Judge, not for them but against them. And I will be a swift witness - o“In judging I will bear…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5The phrase swift witness suggests a legal case where God acts as both the prosecutor and the main witness against Judah after the exile in Babylon. Sorcerers used witchcraft, black magic, or fortune-telling for personal gain. On the coming day of God’s judgment, sinful Judeans would either be purified (Malachi 3:3) or destroyed (4:1–2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. I ... come near ... to judgment--I whom ye challenged, saying, "Where is the God of judgment?" (Mal 2:17). I whom ye think far off, and to be slow in judgment, am "near," and will come as a "swift witness"; not only a judge, but also an eye-witness against sorcerers; for Mine eyes see every sin, though ye think I take no heed. Earthly judges need witnesses to enable them to decide aright: I alone need none (Psa 10:11; 73:11; 94:7, &c.). sorcerers--a…Read the comment
Topics related to Malachi 3:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Malachi 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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