Malachi 3:5 ““Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witn…”

Malachi 3:5

“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.

Berean Standard Bible

Other translations

King James Version

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.

World English Bible

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.

American Standard Version

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.

Geneva Bible 1599

And I will come neere to you to iudgement, and I will be a swift witnesse against the southsayers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelings wages, and vexe the widowe, and the fatherlesse, and oppresse the stranger, and feare not me, sayth the Lord of hostes.

Darby Translation

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.

Young's Literal Translation

And I have drawn near to you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers, And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.

Bible in Basic English

And I will come near to you for judging; I will quickly be a witness against the wonder-workers, against those who have been untrue in married life, against those who take false oaths; against those who keep back from the servant his payment, and who are hard on the widow and the child without a father, who do not give his rights to the man from a strange country, and have no fear of me, says the Lord of armies.

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Cross references

“I will come”

Malachi 2:17 Psalm 98:9 Psalm 96:13 Ezekiel 34:20–22 Psalm 50:3–6 Hebrews 10:30

Malachi 2:17 · BSB

You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?” By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

Psalm 98:9 · BSB

before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 96:13 · BSB

before the LORD, for He is coming— He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.

Ezekiel 34:20–22 · BSB

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Psalm 50:3–6 · BSB

Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him.

Hebrews 10:30 · BSB

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

“a swift”

Malachi 2:14 Jeremiah 29:23 Psalm 81:8 Micah 1:2 Psalm 50:7 Matthew 23:14–35

Malachi 2:14 · BSB

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.

Jeremiah 29:23 · BSB

For they have committed an outrage in Israel by committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking lies in My name, which I did not command them to do. I am He who knows, and I am a witness, declares the…

Psalm 81:8 · BSB

Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

Micah 1:2 · BSB

Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and everyone in it! May the Lord GOD bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.

Psalm 50:7 · BSB

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.

“the sorcerers”

Hebrews 13:4 Deuteronomy 5:11 Galatians 5:19–21 Revelation 21:8 Revelation 22:15 Leviticus 20:6

Hebrews 13:4 · BSB

Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Deuteronomy 5:11 · BSB

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.

Galatians 5:19–21 · BSB

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;

Revelation 21:8 · BSB

But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15 · BSB

But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Leviticus 20:6 · BSB

Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.

“against those”

James 5:4 Deuteronomy 27:19 Leviticus 19:13 Jeremiah 22:13–17 Exodus 22:21–24 Deuteronomy 24:17

James 5:4 · BSB

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.

Deuteronomy 27:19 · BSB

‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

Leviticus 19:13 · BSB

You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.

Jeremiah 22:13–17 · BSB

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,

Exodus 22:21–24 · BSB

You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 24:17 · BSB

Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.

“oppress”

1 Thessalonians 4:6

1 Thessalonians 4:6 · BSB

and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you.

“fear”

Proverbs 8:13 Proverbs 16:6 Genesis 42:18 Exodus 1:17 Exodus 18:21 Nehemiah 5:15

Proverbs 8:13 · BSB

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

Proverbs 16:6 · BSB

By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.

Genesis 42:18 · BSB

and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

Exodus 1:17 · BSB

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

Exodus 18:21 · BSB

Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Nehemiah 5:15 · BSB

The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.

Also

Matthew 23:13–35

Matthew 23:13–35 · BSB

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

Cross references adapted from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0) and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

In context

4Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.

6“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

Read Malachi 3