1 Behold, I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Suddenly, the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—behold, he is coming,

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

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But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, purifying the Levites and refining them like gold and silver, so they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness.

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

4 Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as they were in days of old, as in former years.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

5 I will come near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, and those who swear falsely; against those who defraud workers of their wages, oppress widows and orphans, and deprive foreigners of justice. They do not fear me, says the Lord of Hosts.

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 false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

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

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

7 From the days of your ancestors, you have turned away from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts. But you ask, 'How shall we return?'

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you ask, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord of Hosts, and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD 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 I will rebuke the devourer for your sake, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your ground. Your vine in the field will not fail to bear fruit, says the Lord of Hosts.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

12 All nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of Hosts.

And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

13 Your words against me have been harsh, says the Lord. But you ask, 'What have we spoken against you?

Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14 You have said, 'Serving God is futile. What profit is there in keeping his requirements or walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

15 Now we call the proud blessed, for those who do evil prosper, and those who test God escape.'

And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord paid attention and listened. A book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and honor his name.

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

17 They will be mine, says the Lord of Hosts, on the day when I act. I will spare them as a father spares his son who serves him.

And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

19 For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be like stubble. The day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor branch.

20 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

21 Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I act, says the Lord of Hosts.

22 Remember the law of Moses, my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

23 Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

24 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with total destruction.