Malachias (Malachi) 3
3
1Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts.
2And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb:
3And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice.
4And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years.
5And I will come to you in judgment, and will be a speedy witness against sorcerers, and adulterers, and false swearers, and them that oppress the hireling in his wages; the widows, and the fatherless: and oppress the stranger, and have not feared me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6For I am the Lord, and I change not: and you the sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7For from the days of your fathers you have departed from my ordinances, and have not kept them: Return to me, and I will return to you, saith the Lord of hosts. And you have said: Wherein shall we return?
8Shall a man afflict God? for you afflict me. And you have said: Wherein do we afflict thee? in tithes and in firstfruits.
9And you are cursed with want, and you afflict me, even the whole nation of you.
10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and try me in this, saith the Lord: if I open not unto you the flood-gates of heaven, and pour you out a blessing even to abundance.
11And I will rebuke for your sakes the devourer, and he shall not spoil the fruit of your land: neither shall the vine in the field be barren, saith the Lord of hosts.
12And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightful land, saith the Lord of hosts.
13Your words have been unsufferable to me, saith the Lord.
14And you have said: What have we spoken against thee? You have said: He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of hosts?
15Wherefore now we call the proud people happy, for they that work wickedness are built up, and they have tempted God and are preserved.
16Then they that feared the Lord spoke every one with his neighbour: and the Lord gave ear, and heard it: and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that fear the Lord, and think on his name.
17And they shall be my special possession, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I do judgment: and I will spare them, as a man spareth his son that serveth him.
18And you shall return, and shall see the difference between the just and the wicked: and between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.
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Malachias (Malachi) 3: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Malachi 3
3
1“See, I am going to send my messenger,#Ex 23:20; 33:2; 2Ch 36:15–16 and he will clear the way before me.#Is 40:3; Mk 1:2; Lk 1:76 Then the Lord you seek#Hs 5:6 will suddenly come to his temple,#Ps 24:7–10 the Messenger of the covenant you delight in — see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies. 2But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears?#Rv 6:17 For he will be like a refiner’s fire#Dt 4:24; Is 1:25; Zch 13:9 and like launderer’s bleach.#3:2 Lit cleansing agent#Jr 2:22 3He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.#Ps 12:6; Pr 17:3; Ezk 22:22 Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old#Am 9:11 and years gone by.
5“I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the resident alien.#Ex 20:14,16; 22:18–24; Dt 18:10; 24:14,17; Jr 5:2,7; 7:6,9 They do not fear me,”#Dt 10:17–20; Mal 2:5 says the Lord of Armies. 6“Because I, the Lord, have not changed,#Nm 23:19; 1Sm 15:29; Ps 33:11; 119:89–91; Rm 11:29; Heb 6:17–18; Jms 1:17 you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.#3:6 Or Because I, the Lord, do not change, you descendants of Jacob are not destroyed#Ps 124; Hs 11:9
Robbing God
7“Since the days of your ancestors, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them.#Jos 1:7; 23:6; 1Kg 8:58; 2Kg 17:15; Ezr 9:7; Am 2:4; Mal 2:8 Return to me,#Dt 4:30; 30:2; 2Ch 30:6,9; Is 55:7; Jl 2:13; Zch 1:3 and I will return to you,”#1Kg 8:33; Jr 15:19; 24:7 says the Lord of Armies.
Yet you ask, “How can we return?”
8“Will a man rob#Pr 22:22–23 God? Yet you are robbing me!”
“How do we rob you?” you ask.
“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.#Lv 7:14,32–33; 27:30–32; Nm 18:8–24; Dt 12:5–19; 14:22–29; 26:12 9You are suffering under a curse, yet#3:9 Or because you — the whole nation — are still robbing me. 10Bring the full tenth into the storehouse#Jos 6:19,24; 1Kg 7:51 so that there may be food in my house.#2Ch 31:4–10; Neh 10:34–39; Ezk 44:28–31 Test me in this way,”#Ex 4:1–9; Jdg 6:36–40 says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven#Gn 7:11; 8:2; Dt 11:16–17 and pour out a blessing for you without measure.#Dt 28:12; Is 41:18–20; Jl 2:18–32; Am 9:13–15 11I will rebuke the devourer#3:11 Perhaps locusts#Jl 1:4; 2:25 for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies. 12“Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies.
The Righteous and the Wicked
13“Your words against me are harsh,”#Ps 119:23; Ezk 35:13 says the Lord.
Yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
14You have said, “It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping his requirements#Lv 8:35; Dt 11:1 and walking mournfully#Ps 35:14; 38:6 before the Lord of Armies? 15So now we consider the arrogant#Ps 119:21,85; Is 13:11; Jr 43:2 to be fortunate.#Gn 30:13; Ps 72:17; Pr 31:28 Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God#Ps 78:18,41,56; 95:9 and escape.”#Ezk 17:15
16At that time those who feared the Lord spoke to one another. The Lord took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance#Ex 32:32; Est 6:1; Dn 12:1 was written before him for those who feared the Lord and had high regard for his name. 17“They will be mine,” says the Lord of Armies,#Ex 19:5; Dt 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4 “my own possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.#Ps 103:13; Jl 2:18; Zch 11:5–6 18So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
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