The Promised Messenger
1 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will send my messenger
to prepare the way for me.
Then suddenly the Lord
you are looking for
will appear in his temple.
The messenger you desire
is coming with my promise,
and he is on his way.
A Day of Change
2 On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him. 3 The Lord will purify the descendants of Levi, as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the Lord, 4 and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.
Don't Cheat God
5 The Lord All-Powerful said:
I'm now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me.
6 Descendants of Jacob, I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out, 7 even though you have ignored and disobeyed my laws ever since the time of your ancestors. But if you return to me, I will return to you.
And yet you ask, “How can we return?”
8 You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, “How are we robbing you?”
You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me. 9 That's why your whole nation is under a curse. 10 I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing. 11 I will also stop locusts from destroying your crops and keeping your vineyards from producing. 12 Everyone of every nation will talk about how I have blessed you and about your wonderful land. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!
13 You have said horrible things about me, and yet you ask, “What have we said?”
14 Here is what you have said: “It's foolish to serve the Lord God All-Powerful. What do we get for obeying God and from going around looking sad? 15 See how happy those arrogant people are. Everyone who does wrong is successful, and when they put God to the test, they always get away with it.”
Faithfulness Is Rewarded
16 All those who truly respected the Lord and honored his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names written as a reminder in his book.
17 Then the Lord All-Powerful said:
You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child. 18 Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.
1 Omuwa Omunankondoawike ota yamukula: “Otandi ka tuma omutumwa gwandje okulongekidhila ndje ondjila. Nena Omuwa ngoka tamu mu kongo, ote ke ya ohaluka kotempeli ye. Omutumwa ngoka mwa yuulukwa, ote ke ya nota popi ehangano lyandje.”
2 Ihe olye ta vulu okwiidhidhimikila esiku ndyoka te ya? Olye ta vulu okukala ko, uuna ta holoka? Ota ka kala a fa othewa yekoha, a fa omulilo tagu hemuna uutale. 3 Ote ke ya okupangula a fa omuhemuni ta yelitha oshisiliveli noshingoli. Osho omutumwa gwOmuwa ta ka yogola aayambi, opo ye etele Omuwa omayambo gu uka. 4 Nena omayambo ngoka oshigwana shaJuda naJerusalem taa etele Omuwa, otage mu opalele, ngaashi ga li pomathimbo gonale.
5 Omuwa Omunankondoawike ota ti: “Otii ka holoka mokati keni okupangula. Otii ka tompa mbala mboka haa anekele, haa hondele, haa gandja uumbangi wiifundja, haa kotokelele aaniilonga oondjambi dhawo naamboka haa nyokoma aaselekadhi, oothigwa naakwiilongo — nokuthikamena ayehe mboka ihaa simaneke ndje.”
Okugandja iitimulongo
6 “Ongame Omuwa, itandi lunduluka. Nane, oluvalo lwaJakob, otamu kala ko natango. 7 Ne omwa fa oohokulu ye mu tetekela, omwa pilamene iipango yandje noinamu yi dhiginina. Galukileni kungame, nangame tandi galukile kune. Ihe ne otamu pula: ‘Otatu galukile ko ngiini kungoye?’ 8 Otandi mu pula: ‘Omuntu ota vulu tuu okukotokela Kalunga? Aawe, ndishi, ihe osho hamu ningi.’ Otamu pula: ‘Otatu ku kotokele ngiini?’ Okombinga yiitimulongo nomayambo. 9 Ne amuhe aathingwa, oshoka oshigwana ashihe ohashi kotokele ndje. 10 Eteni iitimulongo ya gwana po kotempeli, opo mongulu yandje mu kale iikulya ya gwana. Yelekii ndje, notamu ka mona, sho tandi egulula oombende dhokegulu, ndi mu lokithile eloolo lyomaliko guuyamba owindji. 11 Itandi ka eta okapuka, ka lye po ompagona yeni, nomahila gomiviinu dheni otaga ka kanyata omandjembele. 12 Nena iigwana yilwe otayi ke ku ithana omunelago, oshoka evi lyeni otali ka kala ehala lyo opala okukala.”
Omauvaneko gaKalunga gesilohenda
13 Omuwa ota ti: “Omwa popi ndje nayi, ihe otamu pula: ‘Otwa ti ngiini?’ 14 Omwa ti: ‘Okulongela Kalunga itaku kwatha sha. Otashi kwatha shike okuvulika kuye nenge okuulukila Omuwa Omunankondoawike kutya otwa sa oluhodhi molwiilonga yetu? 15 Ngaashi tu wete, aanuuntsa oyo aanelago. Aakolokoshi ohaa likola nohaa makele Kalunga mokwiidhidhimikila kwe iilonga yawo iiwinayi yo itaa geelwa.’ ”
16 Nena oonakutila Omuwa oya kundathana, nOmuwa okwe ya pulakene nokuuva ko shoka ya ti. Membo omwa nyolwa montaneho ye iilonga yaamboka haa tila Omuwa nohaye mu simaneke. 17 Omuwa Omunankondoawike ota ti: “Otaa ka kala aantu yandje. Mesiku ndyoka, sho tii ka ninga sha, otaa ka kala yandje mwene. Otandi ke ya sila ohenda, ngashika ohe ta sile omwana ohenda ngoka he mu longele. 18 Aantu yandje otaa ka koneka ishewe eyooloko pokati komuyuuki nomukolokoshi, pokati komuntu ngoka ta longele ndje naangoka itee shi ningi.”
