Malachi

Malachi 3 ©

1 The forerunner, and coming of the Messiah to cleanse his church, and to judge the wicked. 7 The people are warned to repent, and turn from their sins, 8 particularly their sacrilege, 13 and impious blasphemy. 16 God's blessing promised to those that fear him.

1

BEHOLD, aI will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and bthe 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.

2

But cwho may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he dappeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like *fullers' soap:

3

And he shall sit eas 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.

4

Then fshall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in 1former years.

5

And gI will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness hagainst the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that 2oppress the hireling in his wages, ithe widow, and the fatherless, and jthat turn aside the stranger from his right, and kfear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

6

For I am the LORD, lI change not; mtherefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

7

nEven from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. oReturn unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, pWherein shall we return?

8

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

9

Ye rare cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10

sBring ye all the tithes into the store house, that there may be t*meat in mine house, and u*prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the vwindows of heaven, and 3pour you out a blessing, wthat there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11

And I will rebuke the xdevourer for your sakes, and he shall not 4destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

12

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

13

¶Your words have been z*stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, aWhat have we spoken so much against thee?

14

Ye have said, bIt is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his 5ordinance, and that we have walked 6mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

15

And now we call the cproud happy; yea, dthey that work wickedness 7are set up; yea, they that etempt God are even delivered.

16

¶Then they that ffeared the LORD gspake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and ha book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

17

And ithey shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my 8jewels; and I will jspare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18

Then kshall ye return, and ldiscern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.