^{1 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in days gone by, and as in past years.

^{5 Ref} 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 Ref} For I am the Lord, I am unchanged; and so you, O sons of Jacob, have not been cut off.

^{7 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} You are cursed with a curse; for you have kept back from me what is mine, even all this nation.

^{10 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And you will be named happy by all nations: for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of armies.

^{13 Ref} Your words have been strong against me, says the Lord. And still you say, What have we said against you?

^{14 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Then you will again see how the upright man is different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.

^{1 Ref} Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.

^{2 Ref} And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he `is' as fire of a refiner, And as soap of a fuller.

^{3 Ref} And he hath sat, a refiner and purifier of silver, And he hath purified the sons of Levi, And hath refined them as gold and as silver, And they have been to Jehovah bringing nigh a present in righteousness.

^{4 Ref} And sweet to Jehovah hath been the present of Judah and Jerusalem, As in days of old, and as in former years.

^{5 Ref} And I have drawn near to you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers, And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.

^{6 Ref} For I `am' Jehovah, I have not changed, And ye, the sons of Jacob, Ye have not been consumed.

^{7 Ref} Even from the days of your fathers Ye have turned aside from My statutes, And ye have not taken heed. Turn back unto Me, and I turn back to you, Said Jehovah of Hosts. And ye have said, `In what do we turn back?'

^{8 Ref} Doth man deceive God? but ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: `In what have we deceived Thee?' The tithe and the heave-offering!

^{9 Ref} With a curse ye are cursed! And Me ye are deceiving -- this nation -- all of it.

^{10 Ref} Bring in all the tithe unto the treasure-house, And there is food in My house; When ye have tried Me, now, with this, Said Jehovah of Hosts, Do not I open to you the windows of heaven? Yea, I have emptied on you a blessing till there is no space.

^{11 Ref} And I have pushed for you against the consumer, And He doth not destroy to you the fruit of the ground, Nor miscarry to you doth the vine in the field, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

^{12 Ref} And declared you happy have all the nations, For ye are a delightful land, said Jehovah of Hosts.

^{13 Ref} Hard against Me have been your words, Said Jehovah, and ye have said: `What have we spoken against Thee?'

^{14 Ref} Ye have said, `A vain thing to serve God! And what gain when we kept His charge? And when we have gone in black, Because of Jehovah of Hosts?

^{15 Ref} And now, we are declaring the proud happy, Yea, built up have been those doing wickedness, Yea they have tempted God, and escape.'

^{16 Ref} Then have those fearing Jehovah spoken one to another, And Jehovah doth attend and hear, And written is a book of memorial before Him Of those fearing Jehovah, And of those esteeming His name.

^{17 Ref} And they have been to Me, said Jehovah of Hosts, In the day that I am appointing -- a peculiar treasure, And I have had pity on them, As one hath pity on his son who is serving him.

^{18 Ref} And ye have turned back and considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God and him who is not His servant.

^{1 Ref} Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.

^{2 Ref} But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap:

^{3 Ref} and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness.

^{4 Ref} Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.

^{5 Ref} And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner `from his right', and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.

^{6 Ref} For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

^{7 Ref} From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return?

^{8 Ref} Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

^{9 Ref} Ye are cursed with the curse; for ye rob me, even this whole nation.

^{10 Ref} Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough `to receive it'.

^{11 Ref} And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.

^{12 Ref} And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts.

^{13 Ref} Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee?

^{14 Ref} Ye have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?

^{15 Ref} And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and escape.

^{16 Ref} Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.

^{17 Ref} And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, `even' mine own possession, in the day that I make; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

^{18 Ref} Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.