Malachi 4:6

NET ©

He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, 1  so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment.” 2 

NIV ©

He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

NASB ©

"He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

NLT ©

His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse."

MSG ©

He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I'll come and put the land under a curse."

BBE ©

And by him the hearts of fathers will be turned to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers; for fear that I may come and put the earth under a curse.

NRSV ©

He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.

NKJV ©

And 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."

KJV
And he shall turn
<07725> (8689)
the heart
<03820>
of the fathers
<01>
to the children
<01121>_,
and the heart
<03820>
of the children
<01121>
to their fathers
<01>_,
lest I come
<0935> (8799)
and smite
<05221> (8689)
the earth
<0776>
with a curse
<02764>_.
HEBREW
Mrx
<02764>
Urah
<0776>
ta
<0853>
ytykhw
<05221>
awba
<0935>
Np
<06435>
Mtwba
<01>
le
<05921>
Mynb
<01121>
blw
<03820>
Mynb
<01121>
le
<05921>
twba
<01>
bl
<03820>
byshw
<07725>
(4:6)
<4:24>
LXXM
(3:23) ov
<3739>  
R-NSM
apokatasthsei
<600>  
V-FAI-3S
kardian
<2588>  
N-ASF
patrov
<3962>  
N-GSM
prov
<4314>  
PREP
uion
<5207>  
N-ASM
kai
<2532>  
CONJ
kardian
<2588>  
N-ASF
anyrwpou
<444>  
N-GSM
prov
<4314>  
PREP
ton
<3588>  
T-ASM
plhsion
<4139>  
ADV
autou
<846>  
D-GSM
mh
<3165>  
ADV
elyw
<2064>  
V-AAS-1S
kai
<2532>  
CONJ
pataxw
<3960>  
V-FAI-1S
thn
<3588>  
T-ASF
ghn
<1065>  
N-ASF
ardhn
 
ADV
NET © [draft] ITL
He will encourage
<03820>
fathers
<01>

<01>
and their children
<01121>

<01121>
to return
<07725>
to me, so that I will not
<06435>
come
<0935>
and strike
<05221>
the earth
<0776>
with judgment
<02764>
.”
NET © Notes

1 tn Heb “he will turn the heart[s] of [the] fathers to [the] sons, and the heart[s] of [the] sons to their fathers.” This may mean that the messenger will encourage reconciliation of conflicts within Jewish families in the postexilic community (see Mal 2:10; this interpretation is followed by most English versions). Another option is to translate, “he will turn the hearts of the fathers together with those of the children [to me], and the hearts of the children together with those of their fathers [to me].” In this case the prophet encourages both the younger and older generations of sinful society to repent and return to the Lord (cf. Mal 3:7). This option is preferred in the present translation; see Beth Glazier-McDonald, Malachi (SBLDS), 256.

2 tn Heb “[the] ban” (חֵרֶם, kherem). God’s prophetic messenger seeks to bring about salvation and restoration, thus avoiding the imposition of the covenant curse, that is, the divine ban that the hopelessly unrepentant must expect (see Deut 7:2; 20:17; Judg 1:21; Zech 14:11). If the wicked repent, the purifying judgment threatened in 4:1-3 will be unnecessary.