マラキ書 3
1 視よ我わが使者を遣さん かれ我面の前に道を備へん また汝らが求むるところの主すなはち汝らの悦樂ぶ契約の使者忽然その殿に來らん 視よ彼來らんと萬軍のヱホバ云たまふ
‘I am about to send my messenger and he will clear a path before me: And the Lord, who you are seeking, will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant who you long for is already coming, says the Lord of hosts.
2 されど其來る日には誰か堪えんや その顯著る時には誰か立えんや 彼は金をふきわくる者の火の如く布晒の灰汁のごとくならん
But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand firm when he appears? He is like a refiner’s fire, and like a launderer’s soap,
3 かれは銀をふきわけてこれを潔むる者のごとく坐せん 彼はレビの裔を潔め金銀の如くかれらをきよめん 而して彼等は義をもて獻物をヱホバにささげん
and he will sit as a refiner and purifier. He will purify the descendants of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, until they are fit to bring offerings to the Lord.
4 その時ユダとエルサレムの獻物はむかし日の如く又先の年のごとくヱホバに悦ばれん
Then will the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5 われ汝らにちかづきて審判をなし巫術者にむかひ姦淫を行ふ者にむかひ僞の誓をなせる者にむかひ傭人の價金をかすめ寡婦と孤子をしへたげ異邦人を推抂げ我を畏れざるものどもにむかひて速に證をなさんと萬軍のヱホバ云たまふ
‘I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against the sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, those who cheat workers, or widows, or orphans, deny justice to immigrants, and do not fear me,’ says the Lord of hosts.
6 それわれヱホバは易らざる者なり 故にヤコブの子等よ汝らは亡されず
‘For I, the Lord, do not change; and you have not ceased to be descendants of Jacob.’
7 なんぢら其先祖等の日よりこのかたわが律例をはなれてこれを守らざりき 我にかへれ われ亦なんぢらに歸らん 萬軍のヱホバこれを言ふ 然るに汝らはわれら何においてかへるべきやと言り
‘From the days of your ancestors, you have turned aside from my statutes, and you have not kept them. Turn to me and I will turn to you,’ says the Lord. ‘You say, “How should we turn?”
8 ひと神の物をぬすむことをせんや されど汝らはわが物を盗めり 汝らは又何において汝の物をぬすみしやといへり 十分の一および獻物に於てなり
Can a human rob God? Yet you robbed me. You ask, “How have we robbed you?” In tithes and gifts!
9 汝らは呪詛をもて詛はる またなんぢら一切の國人はわが物をぬすめり
You – your entire nation – are all cursed, because you rob me.
10 わが殿に食物あらしめんために汝ら什一をすべて我倉にたづさへきたれ 而して是をもて我を試みわが天の窓をひらきて容べきところなきまでに恩澤を汝らにそそぐや否やを見るべし 萬軍のヱホバこれを言ふ
‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there is food in my house. Test me in this way. See if I will not open to you the windows of the sky, and pour you out a blessing, until there is more than enough.
11 我また噬食ふ者をなんぢらの爲に抑へてなんぢらの地の產物をやぶらざらしめん 又なんぢらの葡萄の樹をして時のいたらざる前にその實を圃におとさざらしめん 萬軍のヱホバこれをいふ
I will rebuke for your sakes the devouring locust and he will not destroy your crops, nor will the vine fail to ripen its fruit in the field, says the Lord of hosts,
12 又萬國の人なんぢらを幸福なる者ととなへん そは汝ら樂しき地となるべければなり 萬軍のヱホバこれをいふ
and all nations will call you happy, for you will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord of hosts.
13 ヱホバ云たまふ 汝らは言詞をはげしくして我に逆らへり しかるも汝らは我儕なんぢらにさからひて何をいひしやといへり
‘You have said terrible things about me,’ says the Lord. ‘You ask, “What have we said about you?”
14 汝らは言らく神に服事ることは徒然なり われらその命令をまもりかつ萬軍のヱホバの前に悲みて歩みたりとて何の益あらんや
You have said, “It is useless to serve God, and what do we gain from the Lord of hosts by keeping his commands, and walking mournfully in funeral garb before him?
15 今われらは驕傲ものを幸福なりと稱ふ また惡をおこなふものも盛になり 神を試むるものすらも救はると
So now we call the proud happy, evildoers thrive: they dare God and escape unharmed.”’
16 その時ヱホバをおそるる者互に相かたりヱホバ耳をかたむけてこれを聽たまへり またヱホバを畏るる者およびその名を記憶る者のためにヱホバの前に記念の書をかきしるせり
Such things those who revered the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice, and a record was written before him of those who revered the Lord and those who keep in mind his name.
17 萬軍のヱホバいひたまふ 我わが設くる日にかれらをもて我寳となすべし また人の己につかふる子をあはれむがごとく我彼等をあはれまん
‘They will be mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘my special possession on that day that I am preparing. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
18 その時汝らは更にまた義者と惡きものと神に服事るものと事へざる者との區別をしらん
Once again my people will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the person who serves God and the person who does not.’
