1 "Behold, *Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76; 7:27; John 1:23; 2:14, 15I send My messenger,

And he will *(Is. 40:3)prepare the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek,

Will suddenly come to His temple,

*Is. 63:9Even the Messenger of the covenant,

In whom you delight.

Behold, *Hab. 2:7He is coming,"

Says the Lord of hosts.

2 "But who can endure *Jer. 10:10; Joel 2:11; Nah. 1:6; (Mal. 4:1)the day of His coming?

And *Is. 33:14; Ezek. 22:14; Rev. 6:17who can stand when He appears?

For *Is. 4:4; Zech. 13:9; (Matt. 3:10–12; 1 Cor. 3:13–15)He is like a refiner’s fire

And like launderers’ soap.

3 *Is. 1:25; Dan. 12:10; Zech. 13:9He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;

He will purify the sons of Levi,

And purge them as gold and silver,

That they may *(1 Pet. 2:5)offer to the Lord

An offering in righteousness.

4 "Then *Mal. 1:11the offering of Judah and Jerusalem

Will be pleasant to the Lord,

As in the days of old,

As in former years.

5 And I will come near you for judgment;

I will be a swift witness

Against sorcerers,

Against adulterers,

*Lev. 19:12; Zech. 5:4; (James 5:12)Against perjurers,

Against those who *Lev. 19:13; James 5:4exploit wage earners and *Ex. 22:22widows and orphans,

And against those who turn away an alien—

Because they do not fear Me,"

Says the Lord of hosts.

6 "For I am the Lord, *(Num. 23:19; Rom. 11:29; James 1:17)I do not change;

*(Lam. 3:22)Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

7 Yet from the days of *Acts 7:51your fathers

You have gone away from My ordinances

And have not kept them.

*Zech. 1:3Return to Me, and I will return to you,"

Says the Lord of hosts.

*Mal. 1:6"But you said,

‘In what way shall we return?’

8 "Will a man rob God?

Yet you have robbed Me!

But you say,

‘In what way have we robbed You?’

*Neh. 13:10–12In tithes and offerings.

9 You are cursed with a curse,

For you have robbed Me,

Even this whole nation.

10 *Prov. 3:9, 10Bring all the tithes into the *1 Chr. 26:20storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,"

Says the Lord of hosts,

"If I will not open for you the *Gen. 7:11windows of heaven

And *2 Chr. 31:10pour out for you such blessing

That therewill not beroom enough toreceiveit.

11 "And I will rebuke *Amos 4:9the devourer for your sakes,

So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,

Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,"

Says the Lord of hosts;

12 "And all nations will call you blessed,

For you will be *Dan. 8:9a delightful land,"

Says the Lord of hosts.

13 "Your*Mal. 2:17 words have been harsh against Me,"

Says the Lord,

"Yet you say,

‘What have we spoken against You?’

14 *Job 21:14You have said,

‘It is useless to serve God;

What profit isit that we have kept His ordinance,

And that we have walked as mourners

Before the Lord of hosts?

15 So now *Ps. 73:12we call the proud blessed,

For those who do wickedness are raised up;

They even *Ps. 95:9tempt God and go free.’ "

16 Then those *Ps. 66:16who feared the Lord*Heb. 3:13spoke to one another,

And the Lord listened and heard them;

So *Ps. 56:8a book of remembrance was written before Him

For those who fear the Lord

And who meditate on His name.

17 "They*Ex. 19:5; Deut. 7:6; Is. 43:21; (1 Pet. 2:9) shall be Mine," says the Lord of hosts,

"On the day that I make them My *Is. 62:3jewels.

And *Ps. 103:13I will spare them

As a man spares his own son who serves him."

18 *(Ps. 58:11)Then you shall again discern

Between the righteous and the wicked,

Between one who serves God

And one who does not serve Him.