Malachi 3
1BEHOLD I am about to send My messenger and he will examine the way before Me. And the lord whom ye seek—even the angel of the covenant whom you desire, will come suddenly to his temple. Behold he is coming, saith the Lord Almighty.
2And who can abide the day of his coming? Or who can stand his appearance? Since he is coming like the fire of a refiner’s furnace, and like the soap of the fullers.
3He will sit refining and purifying, and will purify the sons of Levi like the silver and gold, and melt them like the gold and silver.
4Then shall they offer to the Lord a sacrifice in righteousness, and the sacrifice of Juda and Jerusalem will please the Lord a s in the days of old and as in former years.
5And I will bring to judgment before you and be a swift witness against sorcerers, and against adulteresses, and against them who swear by My name to a falsehood, and against them who deprive the hireling of his wages, and them who oppress the widow, and them who buffet the fatherless, and them who turn aside the cause of the stranger, and them who do not fear Me, saith the Lord Almighty.
6Because I the Lord am your God and change not; but you the sons of Jacob do not abstain
7from the iniquities of your fathers—you have turned aside My statutes and have not kept them. Turn to Me and I will turn to you, saith the Lord Almighty. Do you say, Wherein shall we turn?
8Will a man rob God? For you rob Me: and will you say, wherein have we robbed Thee? Because the tithes and the first fruits are with you,
9and you look away [from Me] again and again, and rob Me.
10The year is ended, and you have carried the products into your stores. Now let that which hath been plundered from Him be in His house. Turn now in this respect, saith the Lord Almighty: (see) if I will not open for you the flood-gates of heaven and pour My blessing upon you, until there is enough;
11and send you it for food, and no more destroy the fruit of your land, so that your vine shall no more be sickly in the field, saith the Lord Almighty;
12and all the nations will hail you blessed, for you will be a beloved land, saith the Lord Almighty.
13You have brought heavy accusations against Me, saith the Lord. Do you say, in what instance have we spoken against Thee?
14You say, Vain is he who serveth God: and what advantage is it, that we have kept His charges. For though we have walked as supplicants before the Lord Almighty,
15yet we now call strangers blessed; and all that do unlawful things are built up. Though they opposed God, yet they are saved.
16Against these things they who feared the Lord spoke to one another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and wrote a book of remembrance before Him for them who fear the Lord and revere His name.
17And they shall be, saith the Lord Almighty, an acquisition for Me, on the day which I make; and I will make choice of them, as a man maketh choice of a son who serveth him.
18And when you shall be converted, you shall see the difference between a righteous man and one who is unrighteous; and between him who serveth God and him who serveth not.