Maleakhi 3:14-15

3:14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped ¹  by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord who rules over all? ²  3:15 So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. ³  In fact, those who challenge ⁴  God escape!’”

Maleakhi 3:18

3:18 Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between ⁵  the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

¹ tn Heb “What [is the] profit”; NIV “What did we gain.”

² sn The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical.

³ tn Heb “built up” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “prosper”; NLT “get rich.”

⁴ tn Or “test”; NRSV, CEV “put God to the test.”

⁵ tn Heb “you will see between.” Cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “see the difference.”