Malachi 3:1-12

The LORD who rules over all says, “I will send my messenger. He will prepare my way for me. Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant will come. He is the one you long for.” But who can live through the day when he comes? Who will be left standing when he appears? He will be like a fire that makes things pure. He will be like soap that makes things clean. He will act like one who makes silver pure. And he will purify the Levites, just as gold and silver are purified with fire. Then these men will bring proper offerings to the LORD. And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to him. It will be as it was in days and years gone by. “So I will come and put you on trial. I will be quick to bring charges against all of you,” says the LORD who rules over all. “I will bring charges against you sinful people who do not have any respect for me. That includes those who practice evil magic. It includes those who commit adultery and those who tell lies in court. It includes those who cheat workers out of their pay. It includes those who treat widows badly. It also includes those who mistreat children whose fathers have died. And it includes those who take away the rights of outsiders in the courts. “I am the LORD. I do not change. That is why I have not destroyed you members of Jacob’s family. You have turned away from my rules. You have not obeyed them. You have lived that way ever since the days of your people of long ago. Return to me. Then I will return to you,” says the LORD who rules over all. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’ “Will a mere human being dare to steal from God? But you rob me! “You ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “By holding back your offerings. You also steal from me when you do not bring me a tenth of everything you produce. So you are under my curse. In fact, your whole nation is under my curse. That is because you are robbing me. Bring the entire tenth to the storerooms in my temple. Then there will be plenty of food. Test me this way,” says the LORD. “Then you will see that I will throw open the windows of heaven. I will pour out so many blessings that you will not have enough room to store them. I will keep bugs from eating up your crops. And your grapes will not drop from the vines before they are ripe,” says the LORD. “Then all the nations will call you blessed. Your land will be delightful,” says the LORD who rules over all.