Malachi Chapter 4

King James Version (KJV)

1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all

2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness

3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under

4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of

Other Translations

asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM

1 And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts.

2 Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee?

3 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?

4 and now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and escape.

5 Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.

6 And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts,

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 For behold, the day cometh, burning as a furnace; and all the proud and all that work wickedness shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, so that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

2 And unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and leap like fatted calves.

3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I prepare, saith Jehovah of hosts.

4 Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, the statutes and ordinances.

5 Behold, I send unto you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of Jehovah.

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Ecce enim dies veniet succensa quasi caminus: et erunt omnes superbi, et omnes facientes impietatem stipula: et inflammabit eos dies veniens, dicit Dominus exercituum, quæ non derelinquet eis radicem, et germen.

2 Et orietur vobis timentibus nomen meum Sol iustitiæ, et sanitas in pennis eius: et egrediemini, et salietis sicut vituli de armento.

3 Et calcabitis impios, cum fuerint cinis sub planta pedum vestrorum in die, qua ego facio, dicit Dominus exercituum.

4 Mementote legis Moysi servi mei, quam mandavi ei in Horeb ad omnem Israel præcepta, et iudicica.

5 Ecce ego mittam vobis Eliam prophetam, antequam veniat dies Domini magnus, et horribilis.

6 Et convertet cor patrum ad filios, et cor filiorum ad patres eorum: ne forte veniam, et percutiam terram anathemate.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 “For behold, the day comes, burning like a furnace, when all the proud and all who work wickedness will be stubble. The day that comes will burn them up,” says the LORD of Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

2 But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out and leap like calves of the stall.

3 You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make,” says the LORD of Armies.

4 “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 For, lo, the day hath come, burning as a furnace, And all the proud, and every wicked doer, have been stubble, And burnt them hath the day that came, Said Jehovah of Hosts, That there is not left to them root or branch,

2 And risen to you, ye who fear My name, Hath the sun of righteousness--and healing in its wings, And ye have gone forth, and have increased as calves of a stall.

3 And ye have trodden down the wicked, For they are ashes under the soles of your feet, In the day that I am appointing, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

4 Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, That I did command him in Horeb, For all Israel--statutes and judgments.

5 Lo, I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, Before the coming of the day of Jehovah, The great and the fearful.

6 And he hath turned back the heart of fathers to sons, And the heart of sons to their fathers, Before I come and have utterly smitten the land!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).