CHAPTER 3
1 Lo! I shall send mine angel, and he shall make ready the way before my face; and anon the Lord, whom ye seek, shall come to his holy temple, and the angel of the testament, whom ye will. Lo! he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts; (Behold! I shall send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before my face; and at once the Lord, whom ye seek, shall come to his holy Temple, and also the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in. Behold! he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts;)
2 and who shall be able to think (on) the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? For he shall be as fire welling together, and as the herb of fullers, either tuckers; (and then who shall be able to even think, let alone endure, on the day of his coming? and who shall be able to stand firm to see him? For he shall be like a fire welling together, or purging and refining, and like fuller’s, or tucker’s, soap;)
3 and he shall sit welling together and cleansing silver, and he shall purge the sons of Levi; and he shall purge them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering to the Lord sacrifices in rightwiseness. (and he shall sit welling together and cleansing, or purging and refining, silver, and he shall purge the Levites; yea, he shall refine them like gold and silver, and then they shall offer to the Lord sacrifices in righteousness.)
4 And the sacrifice of Judah and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as the days of the world, and as old years. (And then the sacrifices, or the offerings, of Judah and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, like in the days of old, and like in the years long ago.)
5 And I shall come to you in doom, and I shall be a swift witness to mis-doers, either enchanters of devil’s craft, and to adulterers, and to forsworn men, and that falsely challenge the hire of an hired man, and widows, and fatherless children, and oppress a pilgrim, and dreaded not me, saith the Lord of hosts. (And I shall come to you in judgement, and I shall be a swift witness against all evil-doers,that is, enchanters of the devil’s craft, and adulterers, and perjurers, and those who cheat hired men out of their wages, and do wrong to widows, and fatherless, or motherless, children, and foreigners, yea, those who do not fear me, or those who do not revere or respect me, saith the Lord of hosts.)
6 Forsooth I am the Lord, and I am not changed; and ye sons of Jacob be not wasted. (Yea, I am the Lord, and I do not change; and so ye sons of Jacob be not completely lost, or separated from me.)
7 Forsooth from the days of your fathers ye went away from my lawful things, and kept not; turn ye again to me, and I shall again turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts. And ye said, In what thing shall we turn again? (Though from the days of your forefathers ye went away from my laws, and did not keep them; return ye to me, and I shall return to you, saith the Lord of hosts. And ye said, How can we return (to thee)?/Though from the days of your forefathers ye went away from my laws, and did not keep them; turn ye back to me, and I shall turn back to you, saith the Lord of hosts. And ye said, How do we turn back (to thee)?)
8 If a man shall torment God, for ye tormented me. And ye said, In what thing tormented we thee? In tithes and in first fruits; (Shall a man rob God, for ye have robbed me. And ye said, How have we robbed thee? In the matter of tithes and of first fruits;)
9 and ye be cursed in neediness, and all ye folk deceived me, and tormented. (and so ye be cursed with need, or with want, yea, your whole nation hath deceived me, and hath robbed me.)
10 Bring ye each tithe into my barn, that meat be in mine house, and prove ye me on this thing, saith the Lord, if I shall not open to you the gutters of heaven, and shall shed out to you blessing, till to abundance. (Bring ye each tithe into my barn, so that there be food in my House, and prove ye me on this thing, saith the Lord; see if I shall not open the windows of heaven for you, and pour out blessings upon you, yea, in abundance.)
11 And I shall blame for you that that devoureth, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your land; neither barren vine shall be in the field, saith the Lord of hosts, (And I shall rebuke the devourers, or I shall forbid the pests, for your sakes, and they shall not destroy the fruit of your land; nor shall there be any barren vines in your fields, saith the Lord of hosts,)
12 and all folks shall say you blessed; for ye shall be a desirable land, saith the Lord of hosts. (and all the nations shall say that you be blessed; for ye shall have a very desirable land, or for yours shall be a very desirable land, saith the Lord of hosts.)
13 Your words waxed strong on me, saith the Lord; and ye said, What have we spoken against thee? (Your words have grown strong against me, saith the Lord; and ye said, What have we said against thee?)
14 And ye said, He is vain, that serveth God; and what winning for we kept his behests, and for we went sorrowful before the Lord of hosts? (Ye have said, It is empty and futile to serve God; and what profit, or what benefit, is there for us, though we have kept his commands, and we have gone sorrowfully before the Lord of hosts, because of our shortcomings?)
15 Therefore now we say proud men [be] blessed; for they be builded doing wickedness, and they tempted God, and be made safe. (And so now we say that proud people be blessed; for they be built up, or become prosperous, doing wickedness, and they tempted God, and came to no harm.)
16 Then men dreading God spake, each with his neighbour; and the Lord perceived, and heard, and a book of mind is written before him, to them that dreaded God, and thought on his name. (Then those who feared God spoke, each with his neighbour; and the Lord perceived, and heard, and a Book of Remembrance was written before him, listing those who feared God, and who kept his name in their thoughts./Then those who revered God spoke, one to another; and the Lord perceived, and heard, and a Book of Remembrance was written before him, listing those who revered God, and who kept his name in their thoughts.)
17 And they shall be to me, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day in which I shall make, into a special treasure; and I shall spare them, as a man spareth his son serving to him. (And on that day that I shall make, or And on that day when I shall act, saith the Lord of hosts, they shall be my special treasure; and I shall spare them, like a man spareth his son who serveth him.)
18 And ye shall be turned again, and ye shall see, what is betwixt the just man and the unpious, betwixt the (one) serving to the Lord, and (the one) not serving to him. (And ye shall turn, and ye shall see, what shall happen to the righteous, and to the unrighteous, yea, to those who serve the Lord, and to those who do not serve him.)