Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; {Or, even}and the {Or, angel}messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.
But who can 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:
and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
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 the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return?
Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and {Hebrew: heave-offering.}offerings.
Ye are cursed with the curse; for ye rob me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah 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.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.
And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee?
Ye have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked {Or, in mourning apparel}mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?
and now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and escape.
Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, even mine own possession, in the day that I {Or, do this}make; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. {[Chapter 3:19 in Hebrew]}
Querverweise zu Maleachi 3,1 Mal 3,1
For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.
The voice of one {Or, that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way &c.}that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:
and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
A Psalm of David.Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath fed me all my life long unto this day,
and I will shake all nations; and {Or, the things desired (Hebrew: desire) of all nations shall come}the precious things of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, saying,
Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, {Isaiah 40:3.}The voice of one crying in the wilderness,Make ye ready the way of the Lord,Make his paths straight.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, {Or, the}a {Or, maiden}virgin {Or, is with child, and beareth}shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name {That is, God is with us.}Immanuel.
the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
This is he, of whom it is written, {Malachi 3:1}Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?
And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things:
but I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.
Then understood the disciples that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called {Or, Wonderful counsellor}Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, {Hebrew: Father of Eternity.}Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is {Greek: lesser.}but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God.
and I will shake all nations; and {Or, the things desired (Hebrew: desire) of all nations shall come}the precious things of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith Jehovah of hosts.
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts.
The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of hosts.
{Another reading is, In all their adversity he was no adversary}In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
Even as it is written {Some ancient authorities read in the prophets..}in Isaiah the prophet, {Malachi 3:1.}Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,Who shall prepare thy way;
And he shall {Some ancient authorities read come nigh before his face.}go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.
for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is {Or, Anointed Lord}Christ the Lord.
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his {Or, strength}manhood he {Or, strove}had power with God:
yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him at Beth-el, and there he spake with us,
{Or, for Jehovah is the God of hosts}even Jehovah, the God of hosts; Jehovah is his memorial name.
{Isaiah 40:3.}The voice of one crying in the wilderness,Make ye ready the way of the Lord,Make his paths straight;
And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins;
as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, {Isaiah 40:3 ff.}The voice of one crying in the wilderness,Make ye ready the way of the Lord,Make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,And every mountain and hill shall be brought low;And the crooked shall become straight,And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called JESUS, which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the days of their purification {Leviticus 12:2-6.}according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord
(as it is written in the law of the Lord, {Exodus 13:2, 12}Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord),
and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, {Leviticus 12:8; 5:11.}A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law,
then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Now lettest thou thy {Greek: bondservant.}servant depart, {Greek: Master.}Lord,According to thy word, in peace;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples;
A light for {Or, the unveiling of the Gentiles}revelation to the Gentiles,And the glory of thy people Israel.
This is he that was in the {Or, congregation}church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:
Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High:For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;
John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, {Some ancient authorities read (this was he that said).}This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was {Greek: first in regard of me.}before me.
For of his fulness we all received, and {Or, grace upon grace.}grace for grace.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No man hath seen God at any time; {Many very ancient authorities read God only begotten.}the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?
And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.
They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as {Isaiah 40:3.}said Isaiah the prophet.
And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
This is he of whom it is written, {Malachi 3:1.}Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there is none greater than John: yet he that is {Greek: lesser.}but little in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize {Or, with}in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth {Or, with}in the Holy Spirit.
And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the {Or, doctors See chapter 5:17; Acts 5:34.}teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions:
There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
And John calling unto him {Greek: certain two.}two of his disciples sent them to the Lord, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.
Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is made full.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
And when the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
when John had first preached {Greek: before the face of his entering in.}before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him:
And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to unloose.
And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables;
and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.
And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus.