< Malachi 3 >
1 Lo! Y sende myn aungel, and he schal make redi weie bifor my face; and anoon the lordshipere, whom ye seken, schal come to his hooli temple, and the aungel of testament, whom ye wolen. Lo! he cometh, seith the Lord of oostis;
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.
2 and who schal mowe thenke the dai of his comyng? and who schal stonde for to se hym? For he schal be as fier wellynge togidere, and as erbe of fulleris;
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.
3 and he schal sitte wellynge togidere and clensynge siluer, and he schal purge the sones of Leuy; and he schal purge hem as gold and as siluer, and thei schulen be offrynge to the Lord sacrifices in riytfulnesse.
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.
4 And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem schal plese to the Lord, as the daies of the world, and as olde yeeris.
Then shall the offerings of Iudah and Ierusalem be acceptable vnto the Lord, as in old time and in the yeeres afore.
5 And Y schal come to you in doom, and Y schal be a swift witnesse to mysdoeris, `ether enchaunteris of deuelis craft, and to auouteris, and forsworn men, and that falsli calengen the hire of the hirid man, and widewis, and fadirles, `ether modirles, children, and oppressen a pilgrym, `nether dredden me, seith the Lord of oostis.
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.
6 Forsothe Y am the Lord, and am not chaungid; and ye sones of Jacob ben not wastid.
For I am the Lord: I change not, and ye sonnes of Iaakob are not consumed.
7 Forsothe fro daies of youre fadris ye wenten awei fro my lawful thingis, and kepten not; turne ye ayen to me, and Y schal ayen turne to you, seith the Lord of oostis. And ye seiden, In what thing schulen we turne ayen?
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?
8 If a man schal turmente God, for ye `togidere fitchen me. And ye seiden, In what thing `togidere fitchen we thee? In tithis and in `firste fruitis;
Will a man spoyle his gods? yet haue ye spoyled me: but ye say, Wherein haue we spoyled thee? In tithes, and offerings.
9 and ye ben cursid in nedynesse, and alle ye folc disseyuen me, and `togidere fitchen.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye haue spoyled me, euen this whole nation.
10 Brynge ye yn ech tithe in to my berne, that mete be in myn hous, and preue ye me on this thing, seith the Lord, if Y schal not opene to you the goteris of heuene, and schal schede out to you blessyng, til to aboundaunce.
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.
11 And Y schal blame for you that that deuourith, and he schal not distrie the fruit of youre lond; nether bareyn vyneyerd schal be in the feeld,
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.
12 seith the Lord of oostis, and alle folkis schulen seie you blessid; for ye schulen be a desirable lond, seith the Lord of oostis.
And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a pleasant lande, sayeth the Lord of hostes.
13 Youre wordis wexiden strong on me, seith the Lord; and ye seiden, What han we spokun ayens thee?
Your wordes haue bene stout against me, sayeth the Lord: yet ye say, What haue we spoken against thee?
14 And ye seiden, He is veyn, that serueth God; and what wynnyng for we kepten hise heestis, and for we wenten sorewful bifore the Lord of oostis?
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?
15 Therfor now we seien proude men blessid; for thei ben bildid doynge vnpitee, and thei temptiden God, and ben maad saaf.
Therefore wee count the proude blessed: euen they that worke wickednesse, are set vp, and they that tempt God, yea, they are deliuered.
16 Thanne men dredynge God spaken, ech with his neiybore; and the Lord perseyuede, and herde, and a book of mynde is writun bifor hym to `men dredynge God, and thenkynge his name.
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.
17 And thei schulen be to me, seith the Lord of oostis, in the dai in which Y schal make, in to a special tresour; and Y schal spare hem, as a man sparith his sone seruynge to hym.
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.
18 And ye schulen be conuertid, and ye schulen se, what is bitwixe the iust man and vnpitouse, bitwixe `the seruynge to the Lord and `not seruynge to hym.
Then shall you returne, and discerne betweene the righteous and wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.