万军之耶和华说:“我要差遣我的使者为我开路。你们所寻求的主必突然来到祂的殿中。你们所期盼的那位立约的使者快要来了!” 然而,祂来临的日子,谁能承受得了呢?祂出现的时候,谁能站立得住呢?因为祂像炼金之火,又像漂白衣裳的碱。 祂要坐下来,像炼净银子的人那样洁净利未的子孙,像熬炼金银一样熬炼他们,使他们凭公义向耶和华献祭。 这样,犹大和耶路撒冷所献的祭物就会蒙耶和华悦纳,如同以往的日子、从前的岁月。

万军之耶和华说:“我要来到你们当中施行审判,速速作证指控那些行邪术的、通奸的、起假誓的、克扣工人薪水的、欺压寡妇孤儿的、冤枉异乡人的,以及不敬畏我的。

十分之一奉献

“我耶和华永恒不变,所以你们这些雅各的子孙才没有灭绝。” 万军之耶和华说:“从你们祖先开始,你们就常常偏离我的律例,不肯遵从。现在你们要转向我,我就转向你们。可是你们竟然说,‘我们怎么转向你呢?’ 人怎可抢夺上帝的东西呢?可是你们不但抢夺我的东西,还说,‘我们在何事上抢过你的东西呢?’

“你们在十分之一的奉献和其他供物上抢夺我的东西。 举国上下都是如此,所以你们必受咒诅。” 10 万军之耶和华说:“你们要把当纳的十分之一全部送到我的仓库,使我的殿中有粮。你们这样试试,看我会不会为你们打开天上的窗户,把祝福倾倒给你们,直到无处可容。” 11 万军之耶和华说:“我必为你们驱除害虫,不许它们毁坏你们地里的出产,你们田间的葡萄必不会未熟先落。” 12 万军之耶和华说:“万国必称你们为有福的,因为这地方必成为一片乐土。”

13 耶和华说:“你们出言毁谤我,还问,‘我们怎么毁谤你了?’ 14 你们说,‘事奉上帝是虚空的。遵从上帝的吩咐,在万军之耶和华面前痛悔有什么益处? 15 如今我们称狂傲的人有福,因为作恶的人凡事顺利,他们虽然试探上帝,却仍能逃过灾祸。’”

16 那时,敬畏耶和华的彼此交谈,耶和华必留心倾听,祂面前的纪念册上记录着敬畏祂和尊崇祂名的人。 17 万军之耶和华说:“到我所定的日子,他们必成为我宝贵的产业,我要怜悯他们,如同父亲怜悯他的孝顺儿子。 18 那时,你们将再度看出义人与恶人之间的区别,事奉上帝者和不事奉上帝者之间的不同。

“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?’

“Will a mere mortal rob(AD) God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes(AE) and offerings. You are under a curse(AF)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(AG) into the storehouse,(AH) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(AI) of heaven and pour out(AJ) so much blessing(AK) that there will not be room enough to store it.(AL) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(AM) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(AN)” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,(AO) for yours will be a delightful land,”(AP) says the Lord Almighty.(AQ)

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God

13 “You have spoken arrogantly(AR) against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask,(AS) ‘What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(AT) to serve(AU) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(AV) and going about like mourners(AW) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(AX) blessed. Certainly evildoers(AY) prosper,(AZ) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Faithful Remnant

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(BA) A scroll(BB) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(BC) the Lord and honored his name.

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(BD) treasured possession.(BE) I will spare(BF) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(BG) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(BH) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(BI)

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

But who may 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 shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former 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 false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord 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.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The special person comes as a judge

‘Look! I will send someone to speak my message. He will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord that you are waiting for will quickly return to his temple. The one who brings the message about the covenant will certainly come. He is the one that you really want to see.’

That is what the Lord Almighty says.

‘But when he comes, he will be like a hot fire that makes metal pure. He will be like strong soap that makes clothes completely clean. Nobody will be able to stand in front of him when he appears. On that day, nobody will remain the same.[a] He will work like a man who uses a hot fire to make gold and silver pure. He will make the Levites clean and pure. He will remove their dirt. Then they can offer proper sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord will accept the gifts that the people of Judah and Jerusalem offer to him. He will be happy with them as he was in earlier times.

At that time, I will come among you as your judge. I will speak clearly against those who have done wrong things. I will punish the magicians, the adulterers and those who tell lies against other people. I will punish those people who are cruel to their workers, or they deceive widows or children who have no family. And I will punish those who do not help foreigners who live among them. People who do those things show that they do not respect me.’

That is what the Lord Almighty says.

The Israelites are robbing God

‘I am the Lord and I do not change. Because of my promises to my people, I have not destroyed you, descendants of Jacob. I have told you my commands. But you do not listen to me any longer. You have not obeyed me, even since the time of your ancestors. Now, return to me! Then I will return to bless you.’

That is what the Lord Almighty says.

‘But you ask, “How do we return to you?”

I say to you, “A man should not rob God. But you are robbing me.”

But you ask, “How do we rob you?”

I say, “You do not give to me the tithes and the offerings that you should give.” Yes, all of you are robbing me. The whole nation of Israel is guilty. So you will receive the punishment of a curse.

10 Now you must bring the whole tithe that belongs to me.[b] Store it in my temple, so that there will be food in my house.[c] Obey me and then see what I will do.’

That is what the Lord Almighty says.

‘You will see how much I will bless you! You will not have enough room to store all the good things that I will give to you. I will pour blessings out of the sky like rain. 11 I will stop insects from eating your crops. The grapes will not fall from your vines before they are ready to eat. 12 You will be happy to live in your land. The people of all the other nations will see that God has blessed you.’

That is what the Lord Almighty says.

13 The Lord says, ‘You have spoken bad words against me.

But you ask, “What have we said against you?”

14 You have said, “We serve God, but that has not helped us at all. We are careful to do what he tells us to do. When we do wrong things, we have sad faces to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry. 15 But it is proud people that God blesses! Yes, it is the people who do evil things who become rich! God does not even punish people who like to test him. That is what we think.” ’

The great day of the Lord

16 Then the people who respected the Lord talked to each other. The Lord listened to what they said. While the Lord watched, someone wrote names on a scroll. Those were the names of the people who worshipped the Lord and respected the Lord's name. They wrote down their names so that people would remember them.

17 The Lord Almighty says, ‘These people will belong to me. One day I will come to judge everyone. At that time I will bring together all my own special people. I will not punish them. I will take care of them, like a father takes care of his son who serves him. 18 Because of that, you will see again that I am kind to good people, but I punish wicked people. I show the difference between people who serve me well and those who do not.’

Footnotes

  1. 3:2 The purpose of the hot fire is not to destroy the metal but to make it pure. So on this difficult day the Lord will remove from people everything that is not good.
  2. 3:10 The Israelites had to give some of their crops to the temple to take care of it. They also had to give something to the priests and the Levites, because they worked there. Each year they gave one part in ten (a tithe) of the crops and money that they had received. They could give more if they wanted to.
  3. 3:10 The temple is the place where the Israelites worshipped God.