Maraki 3

1 Tenei te unga atu nei e ahau taku karere, mana e whakapai te ara i mua i ahau, a kitea rawatia ake, kua tae te Ariki, e rapua nei e koutou, ki tona temepara; na ko te anahera o te kawenata, ko ta koutou e ngakau nui na, nana, tera ia ka tae atu, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano.

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 A ko wai e u i te ra e tae mai ai ia? ko wai hoki e tu, ina puta mai ia? e rite ana hoki ia ki te ahi a te kaitahi para, ki te mea horoi a te kaihoroi:

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 Ka noho ano ia, ka rite ki te kaitahi para, ki te kaiwhakapai hiriwa, a ka whakapaia e ia nga tama a Riwai, ka whakahemokia to ratou para, ano he koura, he hiriwa: kia tapaea ai e ratou he whakahere ki a Ihowa i runga i te tika.

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 Ko reira te whakahere a Hura raua ko Hiruharama rekaina ai e Ihowa, ka rite ki nga ra o mua, ki nga tau onamata.

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as they did in the old days, in the former years.

5 Ka whakatata atu ano ahau ki a koutou ki te whakawa; ka hohoro ano ahau hei kaiwhakaatu i te he o nga kaimakutu, o te hunga puremu, o nga kaioati teka, o te hunga e tahae ana i nga utu o te kaimahi, i ta te pouaru, i ta te pani, e whakapeau ke an a i ta te manene, a kahore e wehi i ahau, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano.

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 Ko ahau hoki, ko Ihowa, kahore ahau e puta ke; na reira koutou, e nga tama a Hakopa, i kore ai e pau.

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

7 No nga ra o o koutou matua i whakarerea ai e koutou aku tikanga, kihai ano i puritia e koutou. Hoki mai ki ahau, a ka hoki atu ahau ki a koutou, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano. Heoi kei te mea na koutou, Kia pehea ta matou hoki atu?

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 E tahae ranei te tangata i ta te Atua? Heoi e tahae na koutou i taku. A e mea na koutou, He pehea ta matou tahae i tau? Ki nga whakatekau ra, me nga whakahere.

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

9 Kua kanga, kua kanga koutou: ko koutou hoki kei te tahae i taku, ara ko tenei iwi katoa.

You are under a curse, for you and the whole nation are defrauding me.

10 Maua katoatia mai te whakatekau ki roto ki te toa, kia whai kai ai toku whare, waiho hoki tenei hei whakamatautau moku, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano, me kahore e tuwhera i ahau nga matapihi o te rangi ki a koutou, a ka ringihia he manaaki ki a kouto u, a kia kore ra ano he takotoranga.

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 A ka riria e ahau te kaiwhakapareho, he mea mo koutou, a e kore e huna e ia nga hua o to koutou oneone; e kore ano e marere noa nga hua o ta koutou waina i te mara, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano.

I will prevent locusts from destroying your crops, and your vineyards will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord Almighty.

12 A ki ta nga iwi katoa, he manaakitanga koutou: no te mea he whenua ahuareka koutou, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano.

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

13 He kaha a koutou kupu ki ahau, e ai ta Ihowa. Heoi e ki na koutou, He aha ta matou korero mou?

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

14 Kua ki na koutou, Kahore he hua o te mahi ki te Atua: he aha hoki te rawa o ta matou pupuri i ana mea, o ta matou haere taua i te aroaro o Ihowa o nga mano?

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 Na inaianei ki ta matou, ko te hunga whakakake nga mea koa; ae ra, ko nga kaimahi i te kino te hunga e hanga ake; ae ra, e whakamatautau ana ratou i te Atua, a kua mawhiti.

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 Na, ko te hunga i wehi i a Ihowa, kei te korerorero ratou ki tona hoa, ki tona hoa; a ka tahuri a Ihowa, ka whakarongo, na ka tuhituhia he pukapuka whakamahara ki tona aroaro mo te hunga i wehi ki a Ihowa, i whakaaro hoki ki tona ingoa.

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 Maku hoki ratou, e ai ta Ihowa o nga mano, i te ra e mahia ai e ahau he taonga motuhake; ka manawapa ano ahau ki a ratou, ka pera me te tangata e manawapa ana ki tana tama e mahi ana ki a ia.

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 Ko reira ano koutou hoki ai, kite ai i te rereketanga o ta te tika, o ta te kino, o ta tera e mahi ana ki te Atua, o ta tera kahore e mahi ki a ia.

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.