MALACHI 3 [†] g “Behold, I send  h my messenger, and  i he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord  j whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and  k the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2[†]But  l who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For  m he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3He will sit  n as 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  o offerings in righteousness to the LORD. [1] 4 p Then 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  q a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those  r who oppress the hired worker in his wages,  s the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

6[†]“For  t I the LORD do not change;  u therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7[^] v From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.  w Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.  x But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8[†]Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me.  x But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’  y In your tithes and contributions. 9 z You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10[†] a Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby  b put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open  c the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11I will rebuke  d the devourer [2] 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  e all nations will call you blessed, for you will be  f a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.

13[†] g “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD.  h But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14You have said,  i ‘It is vain to serve God.  j What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? 15And now we call  k the arrogant blessed.  k Evildoers not only prosper but  l they put God to the test and they escape.’”

16[†]Then those who feared the LORD  m spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and  n a 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,  o in the day when I make up  p my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18Then once more you shall  q see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.