Malachi 3

Matthew^{(i) 1} Beholde, I wil sende my messaunger, which shall prepare the way before me: & the Lord whome, ye woulde haue, shall sone come to hys temple, yea, euen the messenger of the couenaunt, whome ye longe for. Beholde he commeth, sayeth the Lord of hostes ² But who may abyde the day of hys commyng? Who shalbe able to endure, when he appeareth? For he is lyke a goldsmythes fire and lyke a wasshers sope. ³ He shall syt hym doune to trye and to clense the syluer, he shall pourge the children of Leui, & puryfye them lyke as golde and syluer: that they may bring meatofferinges vnto the Lorde in righteousnes. ⁴ Then shal the offering of Iuda & Ierusalem be acceptable vnto the Lord, lyke as from the beginninge, and in the yeares, afore tyme. ⁵ I wil come and punish you, and I my selfe will be a swyf wytnes against the witches, agaynst the aduouterers, agaynste false swearers: yea, and agaynst those, that wrongeouslye kepe backe the hyrelinges dewtye: which vexe the widdowes and the fatherlesse and oppresse the straunger, and feare not me, sayeth the Lord of Hostes. ⁶ For I am the lord that chaunge not, and ye (O children of Iacob) wyll not leaue of: ⁷ ye are gone away from myne ordinaunces, and sens the time of your forefathers haue ye not kepte them. Turne you now vnto me, and I will turne me vnto you, sayeth the Lorde of hostes: ye saye: wherin shall we turne? ⁸ Shoulde a man vse falshede and disceyte with God as ye vse falshede and disceyte wyth me? Yet ye saye: wherin vse we disceyt wyth the? In Tithes & heaueofferinges. ⁹ Therfore are ye cursed with penury, because ye dissemble with me, all the sorte of you. ¹⁰ Bringe euerye Tithe into my barne, that there maye be meat in myne house: and proue me withall (sayeth the Lorde of hostes) yf I will not open the windowes of heauen vnto you, and poure you out a blessynge with plenteousnesse. ¹¹ Yea, I shal reproue the consumer for youre sakes, so that he shall not eate vp the frute of youre grounde, neyther shall the vineyarde be baren in the felde, sayeth the Lord of hostes. ¹² In so muche that all people shall saye, that ye be blessed, for ye shalbe a pleasaunt lande, sayeth the Lorde of hostes. ¹³ Ye speake harde wordes agaynst me, sayeth the Lorde. And yet ye saye: What haue we spoken agaynst the? ¹⁴ Ye haue sayed. Is it but lost labour, to serue God? What profyt haue we for keping his commaundementes, and for walkinge humbly before the Lorde of Hostes? ¹⁵ Therfore maye we saye, that the proude are happye, and that they whiche deale with the vngodlynesse, are sette vp: for they tempte God, and yet escape. ¹⁶ But they that feare God, saye thus one to another: the Lord consydereth and heareth it. Yea, it is before him a memoriall boke, wryten for such as feare the Lorde, & remembre his name. ¹⁷ And in the day that I will make (sayeth the Lord of hostes) they shalbe mine own possession: and I wil fauoure them, lyke as a man fauoureth his owne sonne, that doth him seruyce. ¹⁸ Turne you therfore, and consydre what difference is betwyxt the ryghteous & vngodly: betwyxt him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.