1¡Tengan cuidado! Viene el día—ardiente como un horno—en el que los arrogantes y malvados serán quemados como la paja. Cuando llegue ese día, serán quemados por completo, desde la raíz hasta las ramas, dice el Señor Todopoderoso.
2Pero para los que tienen reverencia por mi, el sol de la salvación de Dios brillará con curación en sus alas, y serán liberados, saltando como terneros que han sido liberados de sus establos.
3Ustedes pisotearán a los malvados como ceniza bajo sus pies, en el día que yo actúe, dice el Señor Todopoderoso.
4Recuerden la ley de Moisés mi siervo que yo le di a él y a Israel para que la siguieran. Todas las instrucciones y ceremonias las enseñé en el Monte Sinaí.
5¡Miren! Yo enviaré a Elías el profeta antes de que llegue el día del Señor, ese día grande y terrible.
6Él restaurará la armonía entre padres e hijos, y si eso no ocurre, yo vendré y azotaré la tierra con una maldición.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
The book, and the entire Old Testament, ends with a warning about 'the great and dreadful day of the Lord,' the promise that the 'Sun of righteousness' will bring healing to those who fear God, and the announcement that the prophet Elijah will come before that day.
Explanation
This final chapter, though short, closes not only the book of Malachi but the entire canon of the Old Testament (in the traditional Christian order), with a powerful balance between judgment and hope: the day of the Lord will be like a burning oven for the proud and evildoers, but it will bring healing and joy, compared to calves released from the stall, for those who fear God's name. The promise that 'the prophet Elijah' would come before that great day generated intense Jewish expectation that persists to this day (including the tradition of reserving a place for Elijah at the Jewish Passover Seder); the New Testament identifies this prophecy as fulfilled in John the Baptist, who would come 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17). The last verse of the Old Testament speaks of reconciling the hearts of fathers and children, so that the land will not be struck with a curse — an ending that points to family and social restoration as an essential part of spiritual preparation. The application today: the close of the Old Testament is not a final period, but an open expectation that points directly to what would come next in the story of redemption.
Fun facts
- The Jewish expectation of the literal coming of the prophet Elijah before the Messiah is so strong that, to this day, Orthodox Jewish families reserve an empty chair and a cup of wine for Elijah during the Passover Seder, awaiting his arrival as announced by this chapter.
- Between the end of Malachi and the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry in the New Testament, about 400 years passed without any recognized prophet in Israel — a period traditionally known as the 'silent years,' making the fulfillment of this final prophecy all the more significant.