Malachi 3

1 aBehold, I send bmy messenger, and che will prepare the way before me. And the Lord dwhom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and ethe messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But fwho can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For ghe is like a refiner’s fire and like fullerssoap. 3He will sit has 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 iofferings in righteousness to the Lord.
Or and they will belong to the Lord, bringers of an offering in righteousness
4 kThen the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

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

Robbing God

6“For oI the Lord do not change; ptherefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 qFrom the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. rReturn to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. sBut you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. tBut you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ uIn your tithes and contributions. 9 vYou are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 wBring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby xput me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open ythe windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11I will rebuke zthe devourer
Probably a name for some crop-destroying pest or pests
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 aball nations will call you blessed, for you will be aca land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

13 ad“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. aeBut you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14You have said, af‘It is vain to serve God. agWhat is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15And now we call ahthe arrogant blessed. aiEvildoers not only prosper but ajthey put God to the test and they escape.’”

The Book of Remembrance

16Then those who feared the Lord akspoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and ala book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, amin the day when I make up anmy treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18Then once more you shall aosee the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

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