مَلَاخِي 3

١ 1 «هَأَنَذَا أُرْسِلُ مَلَاكِي فَيُهَيِّئُ ٱلطَّرِيقَ أَمَامِي. وَيَأْتِي بَغْتَةً إِلَى هَيْكَلِهِ ٱلسَّيِّدُ ٱلَّذِي تَطْلُبُونَهُ، وَمَلَاكُ ٱلْعَهْدِ ٱلَّذِي تُسَرُّونَ بِهِ. هُوَذَا يَأْتِي، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ»

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.

٢ 2 وَمَنْ يَحْتَمِلُ يَوْمَ مَجِيئِهِ؟ وَمَنْ يَثْبُتُ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِهِ؟ لِأَنَّهُ مِثْلُ نَارِ ٱلْمُمَحِّصِ، وَمِثْلُ أَشْنَانِ ٱلْقَصَّارِ.

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.

٣ 3 فَيَجْلِسُ مُمَحِّصًا وَمُنَقِّيًا لِلْفِضَّةِ. فَيُنَقِّي بَنِي لَاوِي وَيُصَفِّيهِمْ كَٱلذَّهَبِ وَٱلْفِضَّةِ، لِيَكُونُوا مُقَرَّبِينَ لِلرَّبِّ، تَقْدِمَةً بِٱلْبِرِّ.

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.

٤ 4 فَتَكُونُ تَقْدِمَةُ يَهُوذَا وَأُورُشَلِيمَ مَرْضِيَّةً لِلرَّبِّ كَمَا فِي أَيَّامِ ٱلْقِدَمِ وَكَمَا فِي ٱلسِّنِينَ ٱلْقَدِيمَةِ.

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

٥ 5 «وَأَقْتَرِبُ إِلَيْكُمْ لِلْحُكْمِ، وَأَكُونُ شَاهِدًا سَرِيعًا عَلَى ٱلسَّحَرَةِ وَعَلَى ٱلْفَاسِقِينَ وَعَلَى ٱلْحَالِفِينَ زُورًا وَعَلَى ٱلسَّالِبِينَ أُجْرَةَ ٱلْأَجِيرِ: ٱلْأَرْمَلَةِ وَٱلْيَتِيمِ، وَمَنْ يَصُدُّ ٱلْغَرِيبَ وَلَا يَخْشَانِي، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ.

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.

٦ 6 لِأَنِّي أَنَا ٱلرَّبُّ لَا أَتَغَيَّرُ فَأَنْتُمْ يَا بَنِي يَعْقُوبَ لَمْ تَفْنَوْا.

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

٧ 7 «مِنْ أَيَّامِ آبَائِكُمْ حِدْتُمْ عَنْ فَرَائِضِي وَلَمْ تَحْفَظُوهَا. ٱرْجِعُوا إِلَيَّ أَرْجِعْ إِلَيْكُمْ، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ. فَقُلْتُمْ: بِمَاذَا نَرْجِعُ؟

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?”

٨ 8 أَيَسْلُبُ ٱلْإِنْسَانُ ٱللهَ؟ فَإِنَّكُمْ سَلَبْتُمُونِي. فَقُلْتُمْ: بِمَ سَلَبْنَاكَ؟ فِي ٱلْعُشُورِ وَٱلتَّقْدِمَةِ.

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

٩ 9 قَدْ لُعِنْتُمْ لَعْنًا وَإِيَّايَ أَنْتُمْ سَالِبُونَ، هَذِهِ ٱلْأُمَّةُ كُلُّهَا.

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

١٠ 10 هَاتُوا جَمِيعَ ٱلْعُشُورِ إِلَى ٱلْخَزْنَةِ لِيَكُونَ فِي بَيْتِي طَعَامٌ، وَجَرِّبُونِي بِهَذَا، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، إِنْ كُنْتُ لَا أَفْتَحُ لَكُمْ كُوَى ٱلسَّمَاوَاتِ، وَأَفِيضُ عَلَيْكُمْ بَرَكَةً حَتَّى لَا تُوسَعَ.

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.

١١ 11 وَأَنْتَهِرُ مِنْ أَجْلِكُمْ ٱلْآكِلَ فَلَا يُفْسِدُ لَكُمْ ثَمَرَ ٱلْأَرْضِ، وَلَا يُعْقَرُ لَكُمُ ٱلْكَرْمُ فِي ٱلْحَقْلِ، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ.

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

١٢ 12 وَيُطَوِّبُكُمْ كُلُّ ٱلْأُمَمِ، لِأَنَّكُمْ تَكُونُونَ أَرْضَ مَسَرَّةٍ، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ.

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

١٣ 13 «أَقْوَالُكُمُ ٱشْتَدَّتْ عَلَيَّ، قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ. وَقُلْتُمْ: مَاذَا قُلْنَا عَلَيْكَ؟

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

١٤ 14 قُلْتُمْ: عِبَادَةُ ٱللهِ بَاطِلَةٌ، وَمَا ٱلْمَنْفَعَةُ مِنْ أَنَّنَا حَفِظْنَا شَعَائِرَهُ، وَأَنَّنَا سَلَكْنَا بِٱلْحُزْنِ قُدَّامَ رَبِّ ٱلْجُنُودِ؟

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?

١٥ 15 وَٱلْآنَ نَحْنُ مُطَوِّبُونَ ٱلْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ وَأَيْضًا فَاعِلُو ٱلشَّرِّ يُبْنَوْنَ. بَلْ جَرَّبُوا ٱللهَ وَنَجَوْا».

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.”

١٦ 16 حِينَئِذٍ كَلَّمَ مُتَّقُو ٱلرَّبِّ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ قَرِيبَهُ، وَٱلرَّبُّ أَصْغَى وَسَمِعَ، وَكُتِبَ أَمَامَهُ سِفْرُ تَذْكَرَةٍ لِلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقُوا ٱلرَّبَّ وَلِلْمُفَكِّرِينَ فِي ٱسْمِهِ.

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.

١٧ 17 «وَيَكُونُونَ لِي، قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، فِي ٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلَّذِي أَنَا صَانِعٌ خَاصَّةً، وَأُشْفِقُ عَلَيْهِمْ كَمَا يُشْفِقُ ٱلْإِنْسَانُ عَلَى ٱبْنِهِ ٱلَّذِي يَخْدِمُهُ.

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.

١٨ 18 فَتَعُودُونَ وَتُمَيِّزُونَ بَيْنَ ٱلصِّدِّيقِ وَٱلشِّرِّيرِ، بَيْنَ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ ٱللهَ وَمَنْ لَا يَعْبُدُهُ.

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.