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¹ Behold me! sending my messenger, who will prepare a way before me, - and, suddenly, shall come to his temple The Lord whom ye are seeking, even the messenger of the covenant in whom ye are delighting, Lo! he cometh! saith Yahweh of hosts.² But who may endure the day of his coming? And who is he that can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' alkali;³ Therefore will he sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and will purify the sons of Levi, and will smelt them, as gold and as silver; so shall they belong to Yahweh, offering a gift in righteousness.⁴ Then shall the gift of Judah and Jerusalem, be pleasant to Yahweh, - as in the days of age-past times, and as in the ancient years.⁵ Therefore will I draw near unto you for judgment, and will become a swift witness against the mutterers of incantations, and against the adulterers, and against them that swear to a falsehood, - and against them who rob the hire of the hireling, the widow and the fatherless, and that drive away the sojourner, and do not revere me, saith Yahweh of hosts.⁶ Because, I, Yahweh, have not changed, therefore, ye, the sons of Jacob, have not been utterly consumed.

⁷ From the days of your fathers, have ye departed from my statutes, and not observed them, Return ye unto me, that I may return unto you, saith Yahweh of hosts. And yet ye say, Wherein shall we return?⁸ Will, a son of earth, defraud, God? Nevertheless, ye, have been defrauding me, and yet ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee? In the tithe and the offering.⁹ With a curse, have ye been cursing, and yet, me, have ye been defrauding, - the whole nation.¹⁰ Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, Yea, I pray you, put me to the proof hereby, saith Yahweh of hosts, whether I will not open to you the sluices of the heavens, and pour out for you blessing, until there be no room.¹¹ Then will I rebuke, for you, the devourer that he spoil not, for you, the fruit of the ground, - neither shall the vine in the field, be barren to you, saith Yahweh of hosts.¹² So shall all the nations, pronounce you happy, - for, ye, shall become, a land of delight, saith Yahweh of hosts.

¹³ Stout against me, have been your words, saith Yahweh, - and yet ye say, What have we spoken, one to another, against thee?¹⁴ Ye have said, Vain is it to serve God, - and, What profit when we have kept his charge, or when we have walked gloomily before Yahweh of hosts?¹⁵ Now, therefore, we are pronouncing happy - the proud, - and, the doers of lawlessness have, even been built up, and, they who have put God to the proof, have even been delivered.¹⁶ Then, they who revered Yahweh, conversed, one with another, - and Yahweh hearkened, and heard, and there was written a book of remembrance before him, for them who revered Yahweh, and for such as thought of his Name. ¹⁷ Therefore shall they be mine, saith Yahweh of hosts, in the day for which, I, am preparing treasure, - and I will deal tenderly with them, just as a man, dealeth tenderly, with his own son who is serving him.¹⁸ So shall ye return, and see the difference, between the righteous and the lawless, - between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.