Malachi 3

1 Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek will suddenly come to his temple, and the Angel of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.

Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way for me. The Lord you are seeking will suddenly arrive at his Temple. The messenger of the agreement you say is so happy with you is coming, says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who shall endure the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he will be like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' lye.

Who can survive the day when he comes? Who can stand before him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing furnace that refines metal, or like the strong alkali that cleanses stains.

3 And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver; and he will purify the children of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah an oblation in righteousness.

He will sit down like a refiner who purifies silver; he will purify Levi's descendants and refine them like gold and silver so they can present pure offerings to the Lord.

4 Then shall the oblation of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as they did in the old days, in the former years.

5 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 that oppress the hired servant in [his] wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.

I will come and put you on trial. I am ready to be a witness against those who: practice witchcraft commit adultery tell lies give false evidence cheat employees oppress widows and orphans abuse foreigners and do not respect me, says the Lord Almighty.

6 For I Jehovah change not, and ye, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

For I am the Lord, I don't change, and you haven't stopped being descendants of Jacob.

7 Since the days of your fathers have ye departed from my statutes, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return?

From the time of your forefathers onward, you have turned away from my laws and not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, “How should we return?”

8 Will a man rob God? But ye rob me. And ye say, Wherein do we rob thee? [In] tithes and heave-offerings.

Should people defraud God? Yet you are defrauding me! But you ask, “How have we defrauded you?” In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse; and me ye rob, [even] this whole nation.

You are under a curse, for you and the whole nation are defrauding me.

10 Bring the whole tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it.

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there will be food in my Temple. Put me to the test in this, says the Lord Almighty, and I will open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won't have enough room for it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.

I will prevent locusts from destroying your crops, and your vineyards will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord Almighty.

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

All nations will call you blessed because you live in such a wonderful land, says the Lord Almighty.

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah; but ye say, What have we been speaking against thee?

You have said hard things about me, says the Lord. But you say, “What have we said against you?”

14 Ye say, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we keep his charge, and that we walk mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?

You have said, “What's the point of serving God? What benefit is there in keeping his commandments or going before the Lord Almighty with long faces?

15 And now we hold the proud for happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and they escape.

From now on we'll say that the proud are blessed. Evil people do well, and nothing happens when they dare God to punish them.”

16 Then they that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another; and Jehovah observed [it], and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.

Then those who truly respected the Lord spoke to each other, and the Lord heard what they said. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence of those who respected the Lord and paid attention to him.

17 And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure, saith Jehovah of hosts, in the day that I prepare; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

They shall be mine, says the Lord Almighty, my prized possession on the day when I take action. I will treat them kindly, as a father treats an obedient son.

18 And ye shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Then you will once again be able to distinguish those who do right from those who do wrong, between those who serve him and those who don't.