Malachi 3

1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seeke, shall speedely come to his Temple: euen the messenger of the couenant whom ye desire: beholde, he shall come, sayth the Lord of hostes.

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.

2 But who may abide the day of his comming? and who shall endure, when he appeareth? for he is like a purging fire, and like fullers sope.

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.

3 And he shall sit downe to trye and fine the siluer: he shall euen fine the sonnes of Leui and purifie them as golde and siluer, that they may bring offerings vnto the Lord in righteousnesse.

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.

4 Then shall the offerings of Iudah and Ierusalem be acceptable vnto the Lord, as in old time and in the yeeres afore.

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

5 And I will come neere to you to iudgement, and I will be a swift witnesse against the southsayers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelings wages, and vexe the widowe, and the fatherlesse, and oppresse the stranger, and feare not me, sayth the Lord of hostes.

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.

6 For I am the Lord: I change not, and ye sonnes of Iaakob are not consumed.

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

7 From the dayes of your fathers, ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and haue not kept them: returne vnto me, and I will returne vnto you, saith the Lord of hostes: but ye saide, Wherein shall we returne?

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?

8 Will a man spoyle his gods? yet haue ye spoyled me: but ye say, Wherein haue we spoyled thee? In tithes, and offerings.

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].

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye haue spoyled me, euen this whole nation.

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

10 Bring ye all the tythes into the storehouse that there may be meate in mine House, and proue me nowe herewith, sayeth the Lord of hostes, if I will not open the windowes of heauen vnto you, and powre you out a blessing without measure.

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.

11 And I will rebuke the deuourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruite of your grounde, neither shall your vine be baren in the fielde, sayeth the Lord of hostes.

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.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a pleasant lande, sayeth the Lord of hostes.

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

13 Your wordes haue bene stout against me, sayeth the Lord: yet ye say, What haue we spoken against thee?

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

14 Ye haue saide, It is in vaine to serue God: and what profite is it that we haue kept his commandement, and that we walked humbly before the Lord of hostes?

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?

15 Therefore wee count the proude blessed: euen they that worke wickednesse, are set vp, and they that tempt God, yea, they are deliuered.

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.

16 Then spake they that feared the Lord, euery one to his neighbour, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought vpon his Name.

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.

17 And they shall be to me, sayeth the Lord of hostes, in that day that I shall do this, for a flocke, and I will spare them, as a man spareth his owne sonne that serueth him.

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.

18 Then shall you returne, and discerne betweene the righteous and wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.

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