Malachi, 3

1. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

1. Now I am sending my messenger ahead of me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says Yahweh of hosts.

2. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

2. Who can bear the day of his coming and remain standing when he appears? For he will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

3. And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

3. He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So Yahweh will have priests who will present the offering as it should be.

4. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

4. Then Yahweh will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

5. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in [his] wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

5. When I came to you to do justice I shall demand the immediate punishment of the sorcerers and the adulterers, of those who swear false oaths, who oppress the wage-earner, the widow and the orphan, who do not respect the rights of the foreigner. They do all this and have no fear of me, says Yahweh.

6. For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

6. I, Yahweh, have not changed in anything; just as you, children of Jacob, are always the same.

7. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

7. Since the day of your ancestors you stray from my ordinances and do not practice them. Return to me and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts. But you ask: "Why do we have to return?"

8. Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

8. Can a man deceive God? Yet you cheat me and moreover ask: "How did we cheat you?" I point out your sacred tributes and the tenth which is due to me.

9. Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.

9. Cursed be you who cheat me! Cursed be all the nation!

10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].

10. Turn over into the temple treasury the tenth part of all, that there may be food in my House. Then you may test me says Yahweh of hosts, to see if I will not open the gates of heaven and bring blessed rain to you up to the last drop.

11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

11. I will rebuke the locusts that they may not devour your fields, and let not the vines wither in your land, says Yahweh.

12. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

12. Then all the nations will congratulate you because your land will be the choicest.

13. Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken [so much] against thee?

13. You say very harsh things about me, says Yahweh, and yet you say: "What harsh things did we say against you?"

14. Ye have said, It [is] vain to serve God: and what profit [is it] that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

14. You say: "It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing his commandments or in leading an austere life for his sake. Happy are the shameless!

15. And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, [they that] tempt God are even delivered.

15. Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they remain unharmed."

16. Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

16. Those were the very words of those who fear Yahweh. Yahweh listened and heard what they said. He ordered at once that the names of those who respect him and reverence his Name be written in a record.

17. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

17. And he declared, "They will be mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them as a father cares for his obedient son.

18. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

18. And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey him.

19.

19. The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day all the proud and evildoers will be burned like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots.

20.

20. On the other hand the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect my Name and bring health in its rays. You will come out leaping like fattened calves.

21.

21. You will trample on the evildoers and they will be like ashes scattered on your way when I do this, says Yahweh.

22.

22. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the laws and ordinances I gave him at Mount Horeb for the whole of Israel.

23.

23. I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of Yahweh comes, for it will be a great and terrible day.

24.

24. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come."