THE PROPHET
MALACHI
Malachi 3 ©
A prophecy of the sending of John the Baptist and the future of Christ, Who would separate the hypocrites from the true children of God, v. 1. etc. Whereupon follows a threatening of punishment for the manifold sins were in vogue among the Jews, 5. And an exhortation to repentance, and that they would deal faithfully in the bringing in their tenths and heave offerings, 7. Together with a complaint in regard of their blasphemous sayings, 13. And a comfortable encouragement of the godly, 16.
BEHOLD,a1I will send 2my messenger, and he 3shall prepare the way before me: and 4the Lord, whom 5ye seek, shall 6suddenly come 7to his temple, even 8the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
But 9who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like 10a refiner’s fire, and like 11fullers’b soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify 12the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering 13in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be 14pleasant unto the LORD, 15as in the days of old, and as 16in former years.
And I will come near to you 17to judgment; and 18I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against falsec swearers, and against those 19that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow,d and the fatherless, and that turn aside 20the stranger from his right, and fear not 21me, saith the LORD of hosts.
For I am the LORD, I 22changee not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
¶Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have 23not kept them. 24Returnf unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, 25Wherein shall we return?
¶ 26Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. 27But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In 28tithes and 29offerings.
Ye are cursed 30with a curse: for ye have robbed me, 31even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes 32into the store house, that there may be meat in mine house, and 33prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not 34open you 35the windows of heaven, and 36pour you out a 37blessing, 38that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
And I will 39rebuke the 40devourer 41for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit 42before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be 43a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
¶ 44Yourg words have been 45stout against me, saith the LORD. 46Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
Ye have said, 47It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it 48that we have kept his ordinance, and 49that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
50And now we call 51the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness 52are set up; yea, they that 53tempt God are even 54delivered.
¶ 55Then they that feared the LORD 56spake often one to another: and the LORD 57hearkened, and heard it, and 58a book of remembrance was written 59before him for them that feared the LORD, and 60that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, 61in that day when I make up my jewels; and 62I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
63Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.