Malachi Propheta 3
1 Ecce ego mitto angelum meum, et praeparabit viam ante faciem meam. Et statim veniet ad templum suum Dominator, quem vos quaeritis, et angelus testamenti, quem vos vultis. Ecce venit, dicit Dominus exercituum:
See, I am sending my servant, and he will make ready the way before me; and the Lord, whom you are looking for, will suddenly come to his Temple; and the angel of the agreement, in whom you have delight, see, he is coming, says the Lord of armies.
2 et quis poterit cogitare diem adventus eius, et quis stabit ad videndum eum? Ipse enim quasi ignis conflans, et quasi herba fullonum:
But by whom may the day of his coming be faced? and who may keep his place when he is seen? for he is like the metal-tester's fire and the cleaner's soap.
3 et sedebit conflans, et emundans argentum, et purgabit filios Levi, et colabit eos quasi aurum, et quasi argentum, et erunt Domino offerentes sacrificia in iustitia.
He will take his seat, testing and cleaning the sons of Levi, burning away the evil from them as from gold and silver; so that they may make offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
4 Et placebit Domino sacrificium Iuda, et Ierusalem sicut dies saeculi, et sicut anni antiqui.
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in days gone by, and as in past years.
5 Et accedam ad vos in iudicio, et ero testis velox maleficis, et adulteris, et periuris, et qui calumniantur mercedem mercenarii, et humiliant viduas, et pupillos, et opprimunt peregrinum, nec timuerunt me, dicit Dominus exercituum.
And I will come near to you for judging; I will quickly be a witness against the wonder-workers, against those who have been untrue in married life, against those who take false oaths; against those who keep back from the servant his payment, and who are hard on the widow and the child without a father, who do not give his rights to the man from a strange country, and have no fear of me, says the Lord of armies.
6 Ego enim Dominus, et non mutor: et vos filii Iacob non estis consumpti.
For I am the Lord, I am unchanged; and so you, O sons of Jacob, have not been cut off.
7 A diebus enim patrum vestrorum recessistis a legitimis meis, et non custodistis. Revertimini ad me, et revertar ad vos, dicit Dominus exercituum. Et dixistis: In quo revertemur?
From the days of your fathers you have been turned away from my rules and have not kept them. Come back to me, and I will come back to you, says the Lord of armies. But you say, How are we to come back?
8 Si affliget homo Deum, quia vos configitis me? Et dixistis: In quo configimus te? In decimis, et in primitiis.
Will a man keep back from God what is right? But you have kept back what is mine. But you say, What have we kept back from you? Tenths and offerings.
9 Et in penuria vos maledicti estis, et me vos configitis gens tota.
You are cursed with a curse; for you have kept back from me what is mine, even all this nation.
10 Inferte omnem decimam in horreum, et sit cibus in domo mea, et probate me super hoc, dicit Dominus: si non aperuero vobis cataractas caeli, et effudero vobis benedictionem usque ad abundantiam,
Let your tenths come into the store-house so that there may be food in my house, and put me to the test by doing so, says the Lord of armies, and see if I do not make the windows of heaven open and send down such a blessing on you that there is no room for it.
11 et increpabo pro vobis devorantem, et non corrumpet fructum terrae vestrae: nec erit sterilis vinea in agro, dicit Dominus exercituum.
And on your account I will keep back the locusts from wasting the fruits of your land; and the fruit of your vine will not be dropped on the field before its time, says the Lord of armies
12 Et beatos vos dicent omnes Gentes: eritis enim vos terra desiderabilis, dicit Dominus exercituum.
And you will be named happy by all nations: for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of armies.
13 Invaluerunt super me verba vestra, dicit Dominus.
Your words have been strong against me, says the Lord. And still you say, What have we said against you?
14 Et dixistis: Quid locuti sumus contra te? Dixistis: Vanus est, qui servit Deo: et quod emolumentum quia custodivimus praecepta eius, et quia ambulavimus tristes coram Domino exercituum?
You have said, It is no use worshipping God: what profit have we had from keeping his orders, and going in clothing of sorrow before the Lord of armies?
15 ergo nunc beatos dicimus arrogantes: siquidem aedificati sunt facientes impietatem, et tentaverunt Deum, et salvi facti sunt.
And now to us the men of pride seem happy; yes, the evil-doers are doing well; they put God to the test and are safe.
16 Tunc locuti sunt timentes Dominum, unusquisque cum proximo suo: Et attendit Dominus, et audivit: et scriptus est liber monumenti coram eo timentibus Dominum, et cogitantibus nomen eius.
Then those in whom was the fear of the Lord had talk together: and the Lord gave ear, and it was recorded in a book to be kept in mind before him, for those who had the fear of the Lord and gave thought to his name.
17 Et erunt mihi, ait Dominus exercituum, in die, qua ego facio, in peculium: et parcam eis, sicut parcit vir filio suo servienti sibi.
And they will be mine, says the Lord, in the day when I make them my special property; and I will have mercy on them as a man has mercy on his son who is his servant.
18 Et convertimini, et videbitis quid sit inter iustum, et impium: et inter servientem Deo, et non servientem ei.
Then you will again see how the upright man is different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.
