⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little.^(A) You eat, but never have enough.^(B) You drink, but never have your fill.^(C) You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages,^(D) only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

⁹ “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.^(A) What you brought home, I blew^(B) away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin,^(C) while each of you is busy with your own house.

⁹ You are under a curse^(A)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe^(B) into the storehouse,^(C) 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^(D) of heaven and pour out^(E) so much blessing^(F) that there will not be room enough to store it.^{(G) 11} I will prevent pests from devouring^(H) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,^(I)” says the Lord Almighty.

³⁸ You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,^(A) because locusts^(B) will devour^(C) it. ³⁹ You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine^(D) or gather the grapes, because worms will eat^(E) them.^{(F) 40} You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.^(G)

¹⁶ When anyone came to a heap^(A) of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat^(B) to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.^(C)

² If you do not listen,^(A) and if you do not resolve to honor^(B) my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse^(C) on you, and I will curse your blessings.^(D) Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

¹⁰ Before that time there were no wages^(A) for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely^(B) because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor.