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 3,3 Mal 3,3
For thou, O God, hast proved us:Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I am a father, where is mine honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear? saith Jehovah of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of Jehovah is contemptible.
And when ye offer the blind for sacrifice, it is no evil! and when ye offer the lame and sick, it is no evil! Present it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? or will he accept thy person? saith Jehovah of hosts.
And now, I pray you, entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious unto us: this hath been {Hebrew: from your hand.}by your means: will he {Or, accept any because of you}accept any of your persons? saith Jehovah of hosts.
Oh that there were one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle fire on mine altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, saith Jehovah of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name {Or, is}shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place {Or, incense and a pure oblation are offered}incense {Or, is}shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name {Or, is}shall be great among the Gentiles, saith Jehovah of hosts.
The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;But Jehovah trieth the hearts.
And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
Behold, I will rebuke {Or, as otherwise read, your arm}your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away {Or, unto}with it.
And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant may be with Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.
My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name.
The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity.
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.
But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,And put your trust in Jehovah.
Take away the dross from the silver,And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:
But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and {Or, to their glory shall ye succeed}in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving;And pay thy vows unto the Most High;
and I will {Or, bring my hand again}turn my hand upon thee, and {Hebrew: as with lye.}thoroughly purge away thy dross, and will take away all thy {Or, alloy}tin;
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.
And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.
And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Jehovah.
Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me;And {Or, prepareth a way that I may show him}to him that ordereth his way arightWill I show the salvation of God.
Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have {Or, tried}chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
And the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, saying,
Thus saith Jehovah: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season;
then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
I will praise the name of God with a song,And will magnify him with thanksgiving.
They are all grievous revolters, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly.
The bellows {Or, are burned}blow fiercely; the lead is consumed of the fire: in vain do they go on refining; for the wicked are not plucked away.
Refuse silver shall men call them, because Jehovah hath rejected them.
But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me; and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord Jehovah:
And it will please Jehovah better than an ox,Or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
Son of man, the house of Israel is become dross unto me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye are all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you.
Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have poured out my wrath upon you.
they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness,And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but {Or, the teachers}they that are wise shall understand.
and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto {Or, God and his Father}his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion {Greek: unto the ages of the ages. Many ancient authorities omit of the ages.}for ever and ever. Amen.
And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,And declare his works with singing.
And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.
and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon the earth.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,And will call upon the name of Jehovah.
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not {Greek: sufficient.}worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you {Or, with}in the Holy Spirit and in fire:
A Psalm of David.Jehovah, I have called upon thee; make haste unto me:Give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee.
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the {Greek: laver.}washing of water with the word,
Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee;The lifting up of my hands as the evening {Or, oblation}sacrifice.
that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Take with you words, and return unto Jehovah: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and {Or, receive us graciously}accept that which is good: so will we render as bullocks the offering of our lips.
who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: {Or, for such the Father also seeketh}for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers.
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
{Or, God is spirit}God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, {Greek: well-pleasing.}acceptable to God, which is your {Greek: belonging to the reason.}spiritual {Or, worship}service.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you:
that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus unto the {Greek: nations. Compare Matthew 4.15.}Gentiles, {Greek: ministering in sacrifice.}ministering the {See marginal note on chapter 1:1}gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy.
Yea, and if I am {Greek: poured out as a drink-offering.}offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.
But I have all things, and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.
For I am already being {Greek: poured out as a drink-offering.}offered, and the time of my departure is come.
Through him {Some ancient authorities omit then.}then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name.
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
ye also, as living stones, are built up a {Or, a spiritual house for a holy priesthood}spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: