Chapter 3

  See, I am sending my servant, and he will make ready the way before me; and the Lord, whom you are looking for, will suddenly come to his Temple; and the angel of the agreement, in whom you have delight, see, he is coming, says the Lord of armies.  

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  But by whom may the day of his coming be faced? and who may keep his place when he is seen? for he is like the metal-tester's fire and the cleaner's soap.  

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  He will take his seat, testing and cleaning the sons of Levi, burning away the evil from them as from gold and silver; so that they may make offerings to the Lord in righteousness.  

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  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in days gone by, and as in past years.  

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  And I will come near to you for judging; I will quickly be a witness against the wonder-workers, against those who have been untrue in married life, against those who take false oaths; against those who keep back from the servant his payment, and who are hard on the widow and the child without a father, who do not give his rights to the man from a strange country, and have no fear of me, says the Lord of armies.  

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  For I am the Lord, I am unchanged; and so you, O sons of Jacob, have not been cut off.  

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  From the days of your fathers you have been turned away from my rules and have not kept them. Come back to me, and I will come back to you, says the Lord of armies. But you say, How are we to come back?  

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  Will a man keep back from God what is right? But you have kept back what is mine. But you say, What have we kept back from you? Tenths and offerings.  

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  You are cursed with a curse; for you have kept back from me what is mine, even all this nation.  

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  Let your tenths come into the store-house so that there may be food in my house, and put me to the test by doing so, says the Lord of armies, and see if I do not make the windows of heaven open and send down such a blessing on you that there is no room for it.  

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  And on your account I will keep back the locusts from wasting the fruits of your land; and the fruit of your vine will not be dropped on the field before its time, says the Lord of armies  

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  And you will be named happy by all nations: for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of armies.  

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  Your words have been strong against me, says the Lord. And still you say, What have we said against you?  

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  You have said, It is no use worshipping God: what profit have we had from keeping his orders, and going in clothing of sorrow before the Lord of armies?  

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  And now to us the men of pride seem happy; yes, the evil-doers are doing well; they put God to the test and are safe.  

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  Then those in whom was the fear of the Lord had talk together: and the Lord gave ear, and it was recorded in a book to be kept in mind before him, for those who had the fear of the Lord and gave thought to his name.  

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  And they will be mine, says the Lord, in the day when I make them my special property; and I will have mercy on them as a man has mercy on his son who is his servant.  

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  Then you will again see how the upright man is different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.  

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