1 B ehold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, Whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger or Angel of the covenant, Whom you desire, behold, He shall come, says the Lord of hosts.

«سَأُرسِلُ رَسُولِي الَّذِي يُمَهِّدُ الطَّرِيقَ أمامِي. سَيَأْتِي السَّيِّدُ الَّذِي تَطلُبُونَهُ إلَى هَيكَلِهِ فَجأةً. وَسَيَأْتِي رَسُولُ العَهْدِ الَّذِي تُحِبُّونَهُ كَثِيراً.» يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ.

2 B ut 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 fullers’ soap;

«وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ الصُّمُودَ حِينَ يَأْتِي؟ وَمَنْ سَيَسْتَطِيعُ أنْ يَقِفَ حِينَ يَظْهَرُ؟ فَهُوَ مِثلُ نارِ صاهِرِ المَعادِنِ، وَمِثلَ صابُونِ مُبَيِّضِ الثِّيابِ.

3 H e will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the priests, the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

سَيَجلِسُ كَمَنْ يُطَهِّرُ الفِضَّةَ، لِيُطَهِّرَ اللّاوِيِّينَ. سَيُنَقِّيهِمْ كَالذَّهَبِ وَالفِضَّةِ، وَسَيَصِيرُونَ كَهَنَةَ اللهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَدِّمُونَ التَّقدِماتِ وَالذَّبائِحَ الصّاعِدَةَ كَما يَنبَغِي.

4 T hen will the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in ancient years.

حِينَئِذٍ سَتَكُونُ تَقدِمَةُ يَهُوذا وَمَدينَةِ القُدْسِ للهِ كَما يَنْبَغِي، كَما كانَتْ فِي القَدِيمِ.

5 T hen I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the false swearers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and who turn aside the temporary resident from his right and fear not Me, says the Lord of hosts.

وَسَأقتَرِبُ إلَيكُمْ لِلحُكْمِ، وَسَأشهَدُ سَرِيعاً ضِدَّ الَّذِينَ يُمارِسُونَ السِّحْر، وَالَّذِينَ يَزْنُونَ، وَيَحلِفُونَ بِالكَذِبِ، وَيَبتَزُّونَ المالَ مِنَ العُمّالِ وَمِنَ الأرامِلِ وَاليَتامَى، وَيَطرُدُونَ المُشَرَّدِينَ، ضِدَّ كُلِّ هَؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ لا يَهابُونَنِي،» يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ. سَرِقَةُ اللهِ القَدِير

6 F or I am the Lord, I do not change; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

«لِأنِّي أنا اللهَ لا أتَغَيَّرُ، وَلِذَلِكَ أنتُمْ يا نَسلَ يَعقُوبَ لَمْ تَفنَوْا.

7 E ven from the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, How shall we return?

مُنْذُ أيّامِ آبائِكُمْ وَأنتُمْ تَضِلُّونَ عَنْ أحكامِي، وَلَمْ تَحفَظُوها. ارْجِعُوا إلَيَّ فَأرْجِعَ إلَيكُمْ، يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ. «وَتَقُولُونَ: ‹كَيفَ نَرجِعُ؟›

8 W ill a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? tithes and offerings.

«هَلْ يُمكِنُ لِلإنسانِ أنْ يَسلِبَ اللهَ؟ لِأنَّكُمْ سَلَبْتُمُونِي! وَلَكِنَّكُمْ تَقُولُونَ: ‹كَيفَ سَلَبْناكَ؟› سَلَبْتُمْ عُشُورِي وَتَقْدِماتِي.

9 Y ou are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation.

إنَّكُمْ مَلْعُونُونَ، وَأنتُمْ كُلُّكُمْ،سارِقُونَ.

10 B ring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

«أحضِرُوا العُشُورَ كامِلَةً إلَى الخَزْنَةِ، لِيَكُونَ فِي بَيتِي طَعامٌ. اختَبِرُونِي بِهَذا، يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ، لِتَرَوْا إنْ كُنْتُ لا أفَتَحُ لَكُمْ نَوافِذَ السَّماءِ، وَأسكُبُ بَرَكَةً عَلَيكُمْ حَتَّى الفَيْضِ.

11 A nd I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.

وَسَآمُرُ الأوبِئَةَ بِالبَقاءِ بَعِيدَةً عَنْ حُقُولِكُمْ، فَلا تُتلِفُ إنتاجَ أرْضِكُمْ. وَلَنْ تَكُونَ لَكُمْ كَرْمَةٌ لا ثَمَرَ فِيها،» يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ.

12 A nd all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

«سَتَمدَحُكُمْ كُلُّ الأُمَمِ، بِسَبَبِ أرْضِكُمُ الخَصبَةِ،» يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ. زَمَنُ الدَّينُونَةِ الخاص

13 Y our words have been strong and hard against Me, says the Lord. Yet you say, What have we spoken against You?

يَقُولُ اللهُ: «تَكَلَّمْتُمْ بِقَسْوَةٍ عَلَيَّ. وَأنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ: ‹ماذا قُلْنا عَلَيكَ؟›

14 Y ou have said, It is useless to serve God, and what profit is it if we keep His ordinances and walk gloomily and as if in mourning apparel before the Lord of hosts?

قُلْتُمْ: ‹لا فائِدَةَ مِنْ عِبادَةِ اللهِ. لا مَنفَعَةَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. فَنَحْنُ، الكَهَنَةَ، نَحرِصُ عَلَى خِدْمَتِهِ كَما أمَرَنا. وَقَدْ نُحْنا فِي حَضرَةِ اللهِ القَدِيرِ بِلا فائِدةٍ!

15 A nd now we consider the proud and arrogant to be happy and favored; evildoers are exalted and prosper; yes, and when they test God, they escape.

وَنَحْنُ الآنَ نَظُنُّ أنَّ المُتَكَبِّرِينَ هُمُ السُّعَداءَ. وَلا يَنجَحُ الأشرارُ فَحَسبُ، بَلْ يَتَحَدَّوْنَ اللهَ وَيَنجُونَ!›»

16 T hen those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.

فِي ذَلِكَ الوَقتِ، تَحَدَّثَ الَّذِينَ يَخافُونَ اللهَ فِي ما بَينَهُمْ، وَأصغَى اللهُ لَهُمْ. وَكُتِبَ سِجِلٌّ أمامَهُ بِأسْماءِ الَّذِينَ يَهابُونَ اللهَ وَيُكْرِمُونَ اسْمَهُ.

17 A nd they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.

يَقُولُ اللهُ القَدِيرُ: «سَيَكُونُونَ خاصَّتِي فِي الوَقْتِ الَّذِي اُعلِنُ فِيهِ مُلْكِي. سَأرحَمُهُمْ كَما يَرْحَمُ الرَّجُلُ ابْنَهُ الَّذِي يَخدِمُهُ.

18 T hen shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.

لَكِنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ ثانِيَةً الفَرْقَ بَينَ البارِّ وَالشِّرِّيرِ، بَينَ الَّذِي يَخدِمُ اللهَ وَالَّذي لا يَخدِمُهُ.»