Malachi 3
Complete Jewish Bible
3 “Look! I am sending my messenger
to clear the way before me;
and the Lord, whom you seek,
will suddenly come to his temple.
Yes, the messenger of the covenant,
in whom you take such delight —
look! Here he comes,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
2 But who can endure the day when he comes?
Who can stand when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner’s fire,
like the soapmaker’s lye.
3 He will sit, testing and purifying the silver;
he will purify the sons of Levi,
refining them like gold and silver,
so that they can bring offerings to Adonai uprightly.
4 Then the offering of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim
will be pleasing to Adonai,
as it was in the days of old,
as in years gone by.
5 “Then I will approach you for judgment;
and I will be quick to witness
against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers;
against those who take advantage
of wage-earners, widows and orphans;
against those who rob the foreigner of his rights
and don’t fear me,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
6 “But because I, Adonai, do not change,
you sons of Ya‘akov will not be destroyed.
7 Since the days of your forefathers
you have turned from my laws and have not kept them.
Return to me, and I will return to you,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“But you ask, ‘In respect to what
are we supposed to return?’
8 Can a person rob God?
Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’
In tenths and voluntary contributions.
9 A curse is on you, on your whole nation,
because you rob me.
10 Bring the whole tenth into the storehouse,
so that there will be food in my house,
and put me to the test,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“See if I won’t open for you
the floodgates of heaven
and pour out for you a blessing
far beyond your needs.
11 For your sakes I will forbid the devourer
to destroy the yield from your soil;
and your vine will not lose its fruit
before harvest-time,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
12 “All nations will call you happy,
for you will be a land of delights,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
13 “You have spoken strongly against me,” says Adonai.
“Yet you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’
14 By saying, ‘There is no point in serving God.
What good is it to obey his orders
or to walk about as mourners
before Adonai-Tzva’ot?
15 We consider the arrogant happy;
also evildoers prosper;
they put God to the test;
nevertheless, they escape.’”
16 Then those who feared Adonai spoke together;
and Adonai listened and heard.
A record book was written in his presence
for those who feared Adonai
and had respect for his name.
17 “They will be mine,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot,
“on the day when I compose my own special treasure.
I will spare them as a man spares
his own son who serves him.
18 Then once again you will see the difference
between the righteous and the wicked,
between the person who serves God
and one that doesn’t serve him.
19 (4:1) For the day is coming, burning like a furnace,
when all the proud and evildoers will be stubble;
the day that is coming will set them ablaze,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot,
“and leave them neither root nor branch.
20 (4:2) But to you who fear my name,
the sun of righteousness will rise
with healing in its wings;
and you will break out leaping,
like calves released from the stall.
21 (4:3) You will trample the wicked,
they will be ashes under the soles of your feet
on the day when I take action,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
22 (4:4) “Remember the Torah of Moshe my servant,
which I enjoined on him at Horev,
laws and rulings for all Isra’el.
23 (4:5) Look, I will send to you
Eliyahu the prophet
before the coming of the great
and terrible Day of Adonai.
24 (4:6) He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children
and the hearts of the children to their fathers;
otherwise I will come and strike the land
with complete destruction.”
[Look, I will send to you
Eliyahu the prophet
before the coming of the great
and terrible Day of Adonai.]
Malachi 3-4
Orthodox Jewish Bible
3 Hineni, I will send malachi, and he shall prepare the Derech before me: and HaAdon (the L-rd [Moshiach] Zech 4:14), whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His Heikhal, even the Malach HaBrit, in whom ye have chafetz (delight): hinei, He is coming, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
2 But who may abide the Yom Bo’o (day of His coming)? Who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s eish, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of kesef; and He shall purify the Bnei Levi, and purge them as zahav and kesef, that they may offer unto Hashem an offering in tzedakah.
4 Then shall the offering of Yehudah and Yerushalayim be pleasing unto Hashem, as in the yamei olam (days of old), and as in shanim kadmoniyyot (former years).
5 And I will come near to you for mishpat; and I will be a swift ed (witness) against the mekhashfim (sorcerers), and against the mena’afim (adulterers), and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the almanah (widow), and the fatherless, and that turn aside the ger from his right, and fear not Me, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
6 For I am Hashem, I change not; therefore ye Bnei Ya’akov are not consumed.
7 Even from the yamei avoteichem ye are gone away from Mine chukkim, and have not been shomer over them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith Hashem Tzva’os. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob G-d? Yet ye have robbed Me [Ex 20:15]. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In ma’aser (tithes) and terumah (offerings, contributions).
9 Ye are cursed with a me’erah (curse); for ye have robbed Me, even this whole Goy (nation).
10 Bring ye kol hama’aser (all the tithes) into the Beis HaOtzar (House of the Treasury), that there may be teref (food) in Mine Beis [Hamikdash], and prove Me now herewith, saith Hashem Tzva’os, if I will not open you the windows of Shomayim, and pour you out a brocha, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the p’ri ha’adamah; neither shall your gefen cast her fruit before the time in the sadeh, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
12 And kol HaGoyim shall call you blessed; for ye shall be an Eretz Chefetz, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
13 Your devarim have been harsh against Me, saith Hashem. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against Thee?
14 Ye have said, Avod Elohim is vain; and what profit is it that we have been shomer over His mishmeret, and that we have walked as mourners before Hashem Tzva’os?
15 And now we call the zedim (proud) happy; yea, they that work rishah (wickedness) are set up; yea, they that tempt Elohim even go free.
16 Then they that feared Hashem spoke often one to another; and Hashem paid heed, and heard it, and a Sefer Zikaron (book of remembrance) was written before Him for them that feared Hashem, and that meditated upon Shmo (His Name).
17 And they shall be Mine, saith Hashem Tzva’os, in that Yom when I make up My segullah (special treasure, possession); and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own ben haoved oto (son that serveth him).
18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the tzaddik and the rasha, between oved Elohim (him that serveth G-d) and him that serveth Him not.
4 (3:19) For, hinei, HaYom bah (the day cometh), that shall burn as an oven; and kol zedim (all the proud), yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and HaYom that cometh shall burn them up, saith Hashem Tzva’os, that it shall leave them neither shoresh (root) nor anaf (branch).
2 (3:20) But unto you that fear My name shall the Shemesh Tzedakah (sun of righteousness) arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 (3:21) And ye shall trample down the resha’im; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in HaYom that I shall do this, saith Hashem Tzva’os.
4 (3:22) Remember ye the Torat Moshe Avdi, which I commanded unto him in Chorev for kol Yisroel, with the chukkim (statutes) and mishpatim (judgments).
5 (3:23) Hinei, I will send you Eliyahu HaNavi before the coming of the great and dreadful Yom Hashem;
6 (3:24) And he shall turn the lev-avot to the banim, and the lev-banim to their avot, lest I come and strike the earth with cherem.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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