| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1"Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts. | 1See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire--see, He is coming," says the LORD of Hosts. |
| 2"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. | 2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire and like cleansing lye. |
| 3"He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. | 3He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. |
| 4"Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. | 4And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD as in days of old and years gone by." |
| 5"Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. | 5I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me," says the LORD of Hosts. " |
| 6"For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. | 6Because I, Yahweh, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed." |
| 7"From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?' | 7Since the days of your fathers, you have turned from My statutes; you have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of Hosts. But you ask: "How can we return?"" |
| 8"Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. | 8Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!" You ask: "How do we rob You?"" By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. |
| 9"You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! | 9You are suffering under a curse, yet you--the whole nation--are still robbing Me. |
| 10"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. | 10Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way," says the LORD of Hosts. "See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. |
| 11"Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes," says the LORD of hosts. | 11I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit," says the LORD of Hosts. " |
| 12"All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts. | 12Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of Hosts." |
| 13"Your words have been arrogant against Me," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?' | 13Your words against Me are harsh," says the LORD. Yet you ask: "What have we spoken against You?" |
| 14"You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts? | 14You have said: "It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts? |
| 15'So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.'" | 15So now we consider the arrogant to be fortunate. Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God and escape." |
| 16Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name. | 16At that time those who feared the LORD spoke to one another. The LORD took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared Yahweh and had high regard for His name. " |
| 17"They will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." | 17They will be Mine," says the LORD of Hosts, "a special possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. |
| 18So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. | 18So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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