| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. | 1"I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming," says the LORD who rules over all. |
| 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 launderers’ soap. | 2Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like a launderer's soap. |
| 3He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness. | 3He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the LORD a proper offering. |
| 4“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years. | 4The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in former times and years past. |
| 5And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the LORD of hosts. | 5"I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me," says the LORD who rules over all. |
| 6“For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. | 6"Since, I, the LORD, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished. |
| 7Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ | 7From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD who rules over all. "But you say, 'How should we return?' |
| 8“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. | 8Can a person rob God? You indeed are robbing me, but you say, 'How are we robbing you?' In tithes and contributions! |
| 9You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. | 9You are bound for judgment because you are robbing me--this whole nation is guilty. |
| 10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try 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 such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. | 10"Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter," says the LORD who rules over all, "to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all. |
| 11“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; | 11Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest," says the LORD who rules over all. |
| 12“And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts. | 12"All nations will call you happy, for you indeed will live in a delightful land," says the LORD who rules over all. |
| 13“Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the LORD, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ | 13"You have criticized me sharply," says the LORD, "but you ask, 'How have we criticized you?' |
| 14You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts? | 14You have said, 'It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD who rules over all? |
| 15So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’ ” | 15So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. In fact, those who challenge God escape!'" |
| 16Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. | 16Then those who respected the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the LORD and honored his name. |
| 17“They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” | 17"They will belong to me," says the LORD who rules over all, "in the day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. |
| 18Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him. | 18Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not. |
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