1 "aBehold, I am going to send bMy messenger, and he will cclear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the dmessenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the Lord of hosts. 2 "But who can aendure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a brefiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 "He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will apurify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may bpresent to the Lord offerings in righteousness. 4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be apleasing to the Lord as in the bdays of old and as in former years. 5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the asorcerers and against the badulterers and against those who cswear falsely, and against those who oppress the dwage earner in his wages, the ewidow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the falien and do not fear Me," says the Lord of hosts. 6 "For I, the Lord, ado not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 "From the adays of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. bReturn to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?' 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In atithes and offerings. 9 "You are acursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 "aBring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not bopen for you the windows of heaven and cpour out for you a blessing until dit overflows. 11 "Then I will rebuke the adevourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes," says the Lord of hosts. 12 "aAll the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a bdelightful land," says the Lord of hosts. 13 "Your words have been arrogant against Me," says the Lord. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?' 14 "You have said, 'It is avain to serve God; and what bprofit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 'So now we acall the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and bescape.'" 16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord agave attention and heard it, and a bbook of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. 17 "They will be aMine," says the Lord of hosts, "on the bday that I prepare My cown possession, and I will spare them as a man dspares his own son who serves him." 18 So you will again adistinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.