Malachi 3

1 ‘I am about to send my messenger and he will clear a path before me: And the Lord, who you are seeking, will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant who you long for is already coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Behold, I send my agent, and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he comes, says Jehovah of hosts.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand firm when he appears? He is like a refiner’s fire, and like a launderer’s soap,

But who can abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap.

3 and he will sit as a refiner and purifier. He will purify the descendants of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, until they are fit to bring offerings to the Lord.

And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver. And they shall offer to Jehovah offerings in righteousness.

4 Then will the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.

5 ‘I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against the sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, those who cheat workers, or widows, or orphans, deny justice to immigrants, and do not fear me,’ says the Lord of hosts.

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 who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who turn aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says Jehovah of hosts.

6 ‘For I, the Lord, do not change; and you have not ceased to be descendants of Jacob.’

For I, Jehovah, do not change. Therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

7 ‘From the days of your ancestors, you have turned aside from my statutes, and you have not kept them. Turn to me and I will turn to you,’ says the Lord. ‘You say, “How should we turn?”

From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, How shall we return?

8 Can a human rob God? Yet you robbed me. You ask, “How have we robbed you?” In tithes and gifts!

Will a man rob God? Yet ye rob me. But ye say, How have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 You – your entire nation – are all cursed, because you rob me.

Ye are cursed with the curse, for ye rob me, even this whole nation.

10 ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there is food in my house. Test me in this way. See if I will not open to you the windows of the sky, and pour you out a blessing, until there is more than enough.

Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, says Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for it.

11 I will rebuke for your sakes the devouring locust and he will not destroy your crops, nor will the vine fail to ripen its fruit in the field, says the Lord of hosts,

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, nor shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, says Jehovah of hosts.

12 and all nations will call you happy, for you will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord of hosts.

And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightful land, says Jehovah of hosts.

13 ‘You have said terrible things about me,’ says the Lord. ‘You ask, “What have we said about you?”

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

14 You have said, “It is useless to serve God, and what do we gain from the Lord of hosts by keeping his commands, and walking mournfully in funeral garb before him?

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?

15 So now we call the proud happy, evildoers thrive: they dare God and escape unharmed.”’

And now we call the proud happy. Yea, those who work wickedness are built up. Yea, they challenge God, and escape.

16 Such things those who revered the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice, and a record was written before him of those who revered the Lord and those who keep in mind his name.

Then those who feared Jehovah spoke one with another, and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for those who feared Jehovah, and who thought upon his name.

17 ‘They will be mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘my special possession on that day that I am preparing. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

And they shall be mine, says Jehovah of hosts, my own possession, in the day that I make. And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.

18 Once again my people will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the person who serves God and the person who does not.’

Then ye shall return and discern between the righteous man and the wicked man, between him who serves God and him who does not serve him.