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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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 they did in the old days, in the former years.

5 And I will draw near to you in judgment; 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 judgment of the stranger, and fear not me, says the Lord Almighty.

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

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

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?

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 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].

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

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

You are under a curse, for you and the whole nation are defrauding 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 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 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 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 you shall be a desirable land, says the Lord Almighty.

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

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

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

14 You said, He that serves God labors 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, “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 pronounce strangers blessed; and all they who act unlawfully are built up; and they have resisted God, and [yet] have been delivered.

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 Thus spoke they that feared the Lord, every one to his neighbor: 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.

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 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 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 Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serves God, and him that serves [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.