Malachias 3

1 Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come into his temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom you take pleasure in: behold, he is coming, says the Lord Almighty.

“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

2 And who will abide the day of his coming? or who will withstand at his appearing? for he is coming in as the fire of a furnace and as the herb of fullers.

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

3 He shall sit to melt and purify as it were silver, and as it were gold: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver, and they shall offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.

And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

4 And the sacrifice of Juda and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to the Lord, according to the former days, and according to the former years.

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.

5 And I will draw near to you in judgement; and I will be a sift witness against the witches, and against the adulteresses, and against them that swear falsely by my name, and against them that keep back the hireling's wages, and them that oppress the widow, and afflict orphans, and that wrest the judgement of the stranger, and fear not me, says the Lord Almighty.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.

6 For I am the Lord your God, and I am not changed:

“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

7 but you, the sons of Jacob, have not refrained from the iniquities of your fathers: you have perverted my statutes, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. But you said, Wherein shall we return?

Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

8 Will a man insult God? for you insult me. But you say, Wherein have we insulted you? In that the tithes and first fruits are with you [still].

Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings.

9 And you do surely look off from me, and you insult me.

You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.

10 The year is completed, and you have brought all the produce into the storehouses; but there shall be the plunder thereof in its house: return now on this behalf, says the Lord Almighty, [see] if I will not open to you the torrents of heaven, and pour out my blessing upon you, until you are satisfied.

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.

11 And I will appoint food for you, and I will not destroy the fruit of your land; and your vine in the field shall not fail, says the Lord Almighty.

I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a desirable land, says the Lord Almighty.

“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of Hosts.

13 You have spoken grievous words against me, says the Lord. Yet you said, Wherein have we spoken against you?

“Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’

14 You said, He that serves God labours in vain: and what have we gained in that we have kept his ordinances, and in that we have walked as suppliants before the face of the Lord Almighty?

You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?

15 And now we pronounce strangers blessed; and all they who act unlawfully are built up; and they have resisted God, and [yet] have been delivered.

So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”

16 Thus spoke they that feared the Lord, every one to his neighbour: and the Lord gave heed, and listened, and he wrote a book of remembrance before him for them that feared the Lord and reverenced his name.

At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.

17 And they shall be mine, says the Lord Almighty, in the day which I appoint for a peculiar possession; and I will make choice of them, as a man makes choice of his son that serves him.

“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.

18 Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serves God, and him that serves [him] not.

So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”