[1] See, I am sending my servant, and he will make ready the way before me;
and the Lord, whom you are looking for, will suddenly come to his Temple;
and the angel of the agreement, in whom you have delight, see, he is
coming, says the Lord of armies. [2] But by whom may the day of his coming
be faced? and who may keep his place when he is seen? for he is like the
metal-tester's fire and the cleaner's soap. [3] He will take his seat,
testing and cleaning the sons of Levi, burning away the evil from them as
from gold and silver; so that they may make offerings to the Lord in
righteousness. [4] Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be
pleasing to the Lord, as in days gone by, and as in past years. [5] And I
will come near to you for judging; I will quickly be a witness against the
wonder-workers, against those who have been untrue in married life, against
those who take false oaths; against those who keep back from the servant
his payment, and who are hard on the widow and the child without a father,
who do not give his rights to the man from a strange country, and have no
fear of me, says the Lord of armies. [6] For I am the Lord, I am unchanged;
and so you, O sons of Jacob, have not been cut off. [7] From the days of
your fathers you have been turned away from my rules and have not kept
them. Come back to me, and I will come back to you, says the Lord of
armies. But you say, How are we to come back? [8] Will a man keep back from
God what is right? But you have kept back what is mine. But you say, What
have we kept back from you? Tenths and offerings. [9] You are cursed with a
curse; for you have kept back from me what is mine, even all this nation.
[10] Let your tenths come into the store-house so that there may be food in
my house, and put me to the test by doing so, says the Lord of armies, and
see if I do not make the windows of heaven open and send down such a
blessing on you that there is no room for it. [11] And on your account I
will keep back the locusts from wasting the fruits of your land; and the
fruit of your vine will not be dropped on the field before its time, says
the Lord of armies [12] And you will be named happy by all nations: for you
will be a land of delight, says the Lord of armies. [13] Your words have
been strong against me, says the Lord. And still you say, What have we said
against you? [14] You have said, It is no use worshipping God: what profit
have we had from keeping his orders, and going in clothing of sorrow before
the Lord of armies? [15] And now to us the men of pride seem happy; yes,
the evil-doers are doing well; they put God to the test and are safe. [16]
Then those in whom was the fear of the Lord had talk together: and the Lord
gave ear, and it was recorded in a book to be kept in mind before him, for
those who had the fear of the Lord and gave thought to his name. [17] And
they will be mine, says the Lord, in the day when I make them my special
property; and I will have mercy on them as a man has mercy on his son who
is his servant. [18] Then you will again see how the upright man is
different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.
