Malachi 3:1-18
3 Here I am sending my messenger who shall clear a road before me, and suddenly the Lord, whom you are seeking for, will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you are wishing for, here he comes, says Jehovah of Armies.
2 But who will hold out through the day of his coming? or who will stand at his appearing? for he is like a smelter’s fire and like washermen’s alkali,
3 * and he will sit smelting and purifying silver, and purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will be rightly offering-presenters of Jehovah’s,
4 and the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be sweet to Jehovah as in days of yore and as in olden years; and
5 * I will draw near you for judgment, and will be an expeditious witness against the wizards and adulterers and perjurers and those who fail to pay the wages of a hired man and to allow the rights of a widow and an orphan, and who warp a decision in an immigrant’s case, and do not fear me, says Jehovah of Armies.
6 For I Jehovah have not changed, and you sons of Jacob have not come to an end.
7 From your fathers’ days you have gone away from my usages and not kept them: come back to me and I will come back to you, says Jehovah of Armies. And you say “Come back in what respect?”
8 * Is man to shave down God? for you are shaving me down. And you say “Shaving you down in what respect?” The tithe and the contribution you neglect,
9 and me you shave down, the whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithe to the storehouse so there will be provisions in my house, and test me by this, says Jehovah of Armies, whether I will not open the hatchways of the sky for you and empty out for you more of a blessing than you have any use for;
11 and I will rebuke the eater for you, and you shall not have him spoiling the crops of the soil, nor shall you have the grapevines losing their fruit in the fields, says Jehovah of Armies.
12 And all the nations will congratulate you, because you will be a delightful country, says Jehovah of Armies.
13 You have used strong language against me, says Jehovah. And you say “What language have we used against you?”
14 You have said “Worshiping God does not amount to anything; and what do we get out of it that we have kept his charge and gone in mourning because of Jehovah of Armies?
15 ** And now we are having to congratulate presumptuous people; yes, misdoers make fortunes; yes, they put God to the test and come off safe.”
16 * Thus did those who fear Jehovah talk to each other; and Jehovah listened and heard it, and a commemorative book was written before him for those who fear Jehovah and those who give consideration to his name.
17 And, says Jehovah of Armies, they shall on the day when I take action be for me a special reserve, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son that serves him;
18 and you will come back to seeing the difference between a right-doer and a wrong-doer, between a worshiper and a non-worshiper of Jehovah.
Footnotes
^ 3:3 Conj. and purifying, and purify
^ 3:5 Or take an unlawful advantage of an immigrant
^ 3:8-9 Codd. The tithe and the contribution; with the curse you are cursed, and me
^ 3:15 Lit. are congratulating
^ 3:15 Lit. misdoers are being built up
^ 3:16 Var. (new paragraph) Then those who feared Jehovah talked to each other
