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Yahweh’s Messenger is Coming
3 “Look! I am going to send my messenger,[a] and he will prepare[b] the way before me.[c] And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 And who can endure the day of his coming? And who is the one who can stand when he appears?[d] For he is like a refiner’s fire, like launderers’ alkali.[e] 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the children of Levi, and he will refine them like gold and like silver, and they will present to Yahweh offerings[f] in righteousness. 4 And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh, like in the days of old and like in former years.
5 “Then I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely,[g] and against the oppressors of the hired worker with his wages, the widow and the orphan, and the abusers of[h] the alien,[i] and yet do not fear me,” says Yahweh of hosts.
An Overflowing Blessing
6 “For I, Yahweh, have not changed,[j] and you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.[k] 7 From the days of your ancestors[l] you have turned aside from my rules, and have not kept[m] them! Return to me and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “but you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 Will a human dare to rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In the tithes and the contributions! 9 You are being cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse,[n] so that there will be food in my house, and test me please in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour forth for you an overflowing blessing.[o] 11 I will rebuke the devourer[p] for you; it will not destroy the fruit of your soil; your vine in the field will not be unfruitful,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “And all the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a land in which one takes joy,”[q] says Yahweh of hosts. 13 “Your words have been harsh[r] against me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘How have we spoken together against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is useless[s] to serve God! What is the gain if we keep[t] his requirements, and if we walk as mourners before[u] Yahweh of hosts? 15 And now we are calling the arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!’”
A Book of Remembrance is Written
16 Then those who revered[v] Yahweh spoke with one another.[w] And Yahweh listened attentively[x] and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written before him[y] of those who revere[z] Yahweh and ponder his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I am acting, my treasured possession. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. 18 You will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.
4 [aa] “For look! The day is about to come, burning like an oven, and all the arrogant and every evildoer[ab] will be stubble. The coming day will consume[ac] them,” says Yahweh of hosts. “It will not leave behind for them root or branch. 2 But for you who revere[ad] my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like fattened calves.[ae] 3 You will trample down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am going to act,” says Yahweh of hosts.
4 “Remember the instruction[af] of my servant Moses, which I commanded him at Horeb to all Israel, the rules and regulations. 5 Look! I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh! 6 And he will bring back[ag] the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the hearts of the sons to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with a ban.”
Paradise Restored
22 And he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming out from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 in the middle of its street, and on both sides of the river[a] is the tree of life, producing twelve fruits—yielding its fruit according to every month—and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 And there will not be any curse any longer, and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his slaves will serve[b] him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will not exist any longer, and they will not have need of the light of a lamp and the light[c] of the sun, because the Lord God will give light to them, and they will reign forever and ever[d].
The Time of Fulfillment is Near
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true, and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his slaves the things which must take place in a short time.”
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 And I, John, am the one who heard and who saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed these things to me. 9 And he said to me, “Do not do that![e] I am your fellow slave, and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near! 11 The one who does evil, let him do evil still, and the defiled, let him be defiled still, and the righteous, let him practice righteousness still, and the holy, let him be holy still.”
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to repay each one according to what his deeds are! 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are the ones who wash their robes, so that their authority will be over the tree of life and they may enter into the city through the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral people and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and who practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
An Invitation to Respond
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And the one who hears, let him say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty, let him come. The one who wants, let him take the water of life freely.[f]
A Final Warning
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues written in this book. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and from the holy city that are written in this book.
20 The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.[g]
Let Everything Praise Yahweh
150 Praise Yah.[a]
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament.
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to the abundance of his greatness.
3 Praise him with blast of horn;
praise him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise him with tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flute.
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.
6 Every breathing thing,
let it praise Yah.[b]
Praise Yah.[c]
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the future.[a]
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and instruction of kindness is upon her tongue.
27 She looks after the ways of her household,
and the bread of idleness she will not eat.
28 Her children rise and consider her happy,
her husband[b] also, and he praises her;
29 “Many daughters have done excellence,[c]
but you surpass[d] all of them.”
30 Charm[e] is deceit and beauty[f] is vain;[g]
but a woman who fears Yahweh shall be praised.
31 Give to her from the fruit of her hand,
and may they praise her works in the city gates.
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