Malachi 3:1-14

“Behold! I am sending my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the Lord whom you long for will enter his temple. The messenger of the covenant, your soul’s delight, will certainly come,” says YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who will not fall down in worship when the Lord is unveiled? For he will carry out a purifying process. He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s bleach. He will be as a silversmith who sits refining and purifying silver. He will purify the Levites, refining his priests until they are like pure gold and fine silver. Then I, YAHWEH, will have those who bring me offerings in righteousness. And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to me, as in former times and years past. “So I will come near to you and put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, and those who lie under oath, against those who cheat workers of their wages, who oppress the widows and orphans and ignore the immigrants but who do not live in awe of me. This is YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, speaking to you. Truly, I, YAHWEH, have not changed. And you, children of Jacob, you haven’t changed either.” “Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my laws and evaded them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. “But you ask, ‘How do we need to return?’ “Is it right for people to rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How could we possibly rob you?’ “You withhold your tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole lot of you are guilty of robbing me. Bring the full amount of your tithes into the temple treasury so that there may be ample provisions in my house. Test me and see if I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, will fling open the floodgates of heaven for you and pour down upon you an overflowing blessing that you will not be able to contain. I will defeat the devourer so that it will not destroy the fruits of your fields, and your vines will be full of grapes,” says YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land in which God takes delight. I, YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, promise you this.” “Your harsh, rebellious words are in defiance of me,” says YAHWEH. “But you ask, ‘What words are you talking about?’ “You have said, ‘It’s no use serving God. What do we gain by keeping his requirements and observing these mourning ceremonies before YAHWEH?