< 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 will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom all of you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom all of you delight in: behold, he shall come, says the LORD of hosts.
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.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
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.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto 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.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in 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 come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the worker in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, says the LORD of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord: I change not, and ye sonnes of Iaakob are not consumed.
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore all of you sons of Jacob are not consumed.
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?
Even from the days of your fathers all of you are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says the LORD of hosts. But all of 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 rob God? Yet all of you have robbed me. But all of you say, Wherein have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye haue spoyled me, euen this whole nation.
All of you are cursed with a curse: for all of you have robbed me, even this whole nation.
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.
Bring all of you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in mine house, and prove me now herewith, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
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 rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, says the LORD of hosts.
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 all of you shall be a delightsome land, says the LORD of hosts.
13 Your wordes haue bene stout against me, sayeth the Lord: yet ye say, What haue we spoken against thee?
Your words have been stout against me, says the LORD. Yet all of you say, What have we spoken so much 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?
All of you have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
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 call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even 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.
Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon 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 of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own 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 all of you return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves him not.