Malachi 3

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Look, I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then, suddenly, the LORD you seek will come to his temple - the messenger of the agreement you love. This is what the Lord of Heaven's Army says: he will come.

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

But who can endure his arrival? And who will stand firm when he appears? Because he is like a fiery furnace and strong detergent.

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

He will act like someone refining and cleaning silver. He will clean the descendants of Levi, making them as pure as gold and silver. This way, they can give the LORD a righteous offering.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

Then, the gift from Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, just like in ancient times and long ago.

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

I will closely examine you in court, and quickly testify against people who practice magic, commit adultery, lie under oath, mistreat workers, oppress widows and fatherless children, and cheat foreigners, but they won't be afraid of me, says the Lord of heavenly armies.

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Because I'm God and don't change, that's why the children of Jacob aren't destroyed.

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Since long ago, your ancestors left my rules and didn't follow them. Come back to me, and I will come back to you, says the Lord of heavenly armies. But you ask, How can we return?

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

"Will someone steal from God? You have stolen from me, but you ask, 'How have we done this?' It was through giving a tenth of our earnings and special gifts."

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

You are under a curse because you stole from me; you took everything from this entire country.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Bring all your offerings to the church so there's food in God's house. Then, God challenges you, "I will pour blessings on you from heaven so much that you won't have enough space to hold them."

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

I will stop the one who destroys your crops for you, and he won't ruin your harvest. Also, your grapevines won't let their fruit fall too early in the field, says the Lord of heavenly armies.

And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

All countries will praise you; you will be a wonderful place to live, says the God of armies.

Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

"Your words were strong towards me," says the Lord. "But you ask, 'What have we talked so much about you?'"

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

You said it's pointless to serve God. What good has come from following His rules and sadly walking in front of Him with sorrow?

And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

Now we praise the arrogant; yes, those who do bad things are in power; and those who challenge God are freed.

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Then those who respected God talked to each other a lot. God listened and remembered them in a special book, for those who trusted and thought about Him.

And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

On that day, says the Lord of heaven's armies, they will belong to me, when I show my treasures. And I will protect them, just like a father protects his own son who serves him.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Then you will go back and tell the difference between good people and bad people, those who follow God and those who don't.