Malachi 3

¹Behold , I send my messenger , and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple ; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight , behold , he is coming , says the Lord of hosts .

²But who can endure the day of his coming , and who can stand when he appears ? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers ’ soap .

³He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver , and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver , and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.

⁴Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years .

⁵Then I will draw near to you for judgment . I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers , against the adulterers , against those who swear falsely , against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages , the widow and the fatherless , against those who thrust aside the sojourner , and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts .

⁶For I the Lord do not change ; therefore you , O children of Jacob , are not consumed .

⁷From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts . But you say , How shall we return ?

⁸Will man rob God ? Yet you are robbing me. But you say , How have we robbed you? In your tithes and contributions .

⁹You are cursed with a curse , for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.

¹⁰Bring the full tithe into the storehouse , that there may be food in my house . And thereby put me to the test , says the Lord of hosts , if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need .

¹¹I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil , and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear , says the Lord of hosts .

¹²Then all nations will call you blessed , for you will be a land of delight , says the Lord of hosts .

¹³Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say , How have we spoken against you?

¹⁴You have said , It is vain to serve God . What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts ?

¹⁵And now we call the arrogant blessed . Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape .

¹⁶Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another . The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name .

¹⁷They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts , in the day when I make up my treasured possession , and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

¹⁸Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked , between one who serves God and one who does not serve him .