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 me! sending my messenger, who will prepare a way before me, — and, suddenly, shall come to his temple The Lord whom ye are seeking, even the messenger of the covenant in whom ye are delighting, Lo! he cometh! saith Yahweh of hosts.
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 endure the day of his coming? And who is he that can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ alkali;
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.
Therefore will he sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and will purify the sons of Levi, and will smelt them, as gold and as silver; so shall they belong to Yahweh, offering a gift in righteousness.
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 gift of Judah and Jerusalem, be pleasant to Yahweh, —as in the days of age-past times, and as in the ancient years.
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.
Therefore will I draw near unto you for judgment, and will become a swift witness against the mutterers of incantations, and against the adulterers, and against them that swear to a falsehood, —and against them who rob the hire of the hireling, the widow and the fatherless, and that drive away the sojourner, and do not revere me, saith Yahweh of hosts.
6 Forsothe Y am the Lord, and am not chaungid; and ye sones of Jacob ben not wastid.
Because, I, Yahweh, have not changed, therefore, ye, the sons of Jacob, have not been utterly 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 days of your fathers, have ye departed from my statutes, and not observed them, Return ye unto me, that I may return unto you, saith Yahweh of hosts. And yet ye say, Wherein shall we return?
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 son of earth, defraud, God? Nevertheless, ye, have been defrauding me, and yet ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee? In the tithe and the offering.
9 and ye ben cursid in nedynesse, and alle ye folc disseyuen me, and `togidere fitchen.
With a curse, have ye been cursing, and yet, me, have ye been defrauding, — the 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 tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, Yea, I pray you, put me to the proof hereby, saith Yahweh of hosts, whether I will not open to you the sluices of the heavens, and pour out for you blessing, until there be no room.
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,
Then will I rebuke, for you, the devourer that he spoil not, for you, the fruit of the ground, — neither shall the vine in the field, be barren to you, saith Yahweh of hosts.
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.
So shall all the nations, pronounce you happy, —for, ye, shall become, a land of delight, saith Yahweh of hosts.
13 Youre wordis wexiden strong on me, seith the Lord; and ye seiden, What han we spokun ayens thee?
Stout against me, have been your words, saith Yahweh, —and yet ye say, What have we spoken, one to another, 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 have said, Vain is it to serve God, —and, What profit when we have kept his charge, or when we have walked gloomily before Yahweh of hosts?
15 Therfor now we seien proude men blessid; for thei ben bildid doynge vnpitee, and thei temptiden God, and ben maad saaf.
Now, therefore, we are pronouncing happy—the proud, —and, the doers of lawlessness have, even been built up, and, they who have put God to the proof, have even been delivered.
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, they who revered Yahweh, conversed, one with another, —and Yahweh hearkened, and heard, and there was written a book of remembrance before him, for them who revered Yahweh, and for such as thought of 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.
Therefore shall they be mine, saith Yahweh of hosts, in the day for which, I, am preparing treasure, —and I will deal tenderly with them, just as a man, dealeth tenderly, with his own son who is serving 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.
So shall ye return, and see the difference, between the righteous and the lawless, —between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.
