The Purifier

(A)Behold, I am sending (B)My [a]messenger, and he will (C)clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; [b]and the [c](D)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies. “But who can (E)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a (F)refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap. And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will (G)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may (H)present to the Lord [d]offerings in righteousness. Then the [e]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be (I)pleasing to the Lord as in the (J)days of old, and as in former years.

“Then I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (K)sorcerers, the (L)adulterers, against those who (M)swear falsely, those who [f]oppress the (N)wage earner in his wages or the (O)widow or the [g]orphan, and those who turn away the (P)stranger from justice and do not [h]fear Me,” says the Lord of armies. “For [i]I, the Lord, (Q)do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.

“From the (R)days of your fathers you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. (S)Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

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Footnotes

  1. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  2. Malachi 3:1 Or that is, the
  3. Malachi 3:1 Or angel
  4. Malachi 3:3 Or grain offerings
  5. Malachi 3:4 Or grain offering
  6. Malachi 3:5 Or exploit
  7. Malachi 3:5 Or fatherless
  8. Malachi 3:5 Or revere
  9. Malachi 3:6 Or I am the Lord; I do not

“I will send my messenger,(A) who will prepare the way before me.(B) Then suddenly the Lord(C) you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,(D) whom you desire,(E) will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure(F) the day of his coming?(G) Who can stand(H) when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire(I) or a launderer’s soap.(J) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;(K) he will purify(L) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.(M) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,(N) and the offerings(O) of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.(P)

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,(Q) adulterers(R) and perjurers,(S) against those who defraud laborers of their wages,(T) who oppress the widows(U) and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners(V) among you of justice, but do not fear(W) me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes

“I the Lord do not change.(X) So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.(Y) Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away(Z) from my decrees and have not kept them. Return(AA) to me, and I will return to you,”(AB) says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask,(AC) ‘How are we to return?’

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68 (A)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (B)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (C)horn of salvation for us
In the house of (D)His servant David—
70 (E)Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (F)from ancient times—
71 [a](G)Salvation (H)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (I)To show mercy to our fathers,
(J)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (K)The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Would serve Him without fear,
75 (L)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, also will be called the (M)prophet of (N)the Most High;
For you will go on (O)before the Lord to (P)prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
[b]By (Q)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (R)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (S)To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (T)way of peace.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
  2. Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(A)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(B)
69 He has raised up a horn[a](C) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David(D)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(E)
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(F)
    and to remember his holy covenant,(G)
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(H)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him(I) without fear(J)
75     in holiness and righteousness(K) before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(L) of the Most High;(M)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(N)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,(O)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun(P) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,(Q)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(R)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.