1 The Lord Almighty answers, “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.”
2 But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. 3 He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the Lord's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings. 4 Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the Lord will be pleasing to him, as they used to be in the past.
5 The Lord Almighty says, “I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners—against all who do not respect me.
The Payment of Tithes
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. And so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not yet completely lost. 7 You, like your ancestors before you, have turned away from my laws and have not kept them. Turn back to me, and I will turn to you. But you ask, ‘What must we do to turn back to you?’ 8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. 10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. 11 I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. 12 Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live.
God's Promise of Mercy
13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It's useless to serve God. What's the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done? 15 As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God's patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.’”
16 Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him. 17 “They will be my people,” says the Lord Almighty. “On the day when I act, they will be my very own. I will be merciful to them as parents are merciful to the children who serve them. 18 Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not.”
Efiku lOmwene
1 Tala, Ame ohandi tumu omutumwa wange, ou ta ka kokolela nge ondjila yange. Opo Omwene ou tamu mu kongo, ote ke uya divadiva motembeli yaye, nokutya Omweengeli wehangano, ou mwe mu djuulukwa. Tala, Ye ote uya, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti. 2 Ndelenee olyelye ta dulu okulididimika efiku leuyo laye? Ndele olyelye ta dulu okukala po, Ye eshi ta holoka? Osheshi Ye e li ngaashi omundilo womeleva lomuhambwidi nongaashi ofewa yomukoshi. 3 Ndele Ye ota ka kala omutumba, ngaashi omuhengumuni nomuyelifi woshisiliveli, ndele Ye ota ka yelifa ovana ovamati vaLevi ndele te va yelifa ngaashi oshingoldo noshisiliveli, opo vo tava ka etela Omwene eyambo nouyuki. 4 Opo nee eyambo laJuda nolaJerusalem tali ka wapalela Omwene, ngaashi momafiku onale nongaashi momido domounyuni wonale. 5 Ndele Ame ohandi ka ehena kunye ndi ninge etokolo, ndele Ame handi endelele okuninga ondobwedi ndi tokole eendudu novatei vohombo naava va ana moipupulu nohava fininike omulongeli wondjabi mokufuta, novafiyekadi neefiye. Naava hava ngolyola eendjovo domunailongo ndele itava tila nge. Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti.
6 Osheshi Ame Omwene ihandi lunduluka. Ndele nye ovana vaJakob inamu xula po. 7 Okudja komafiku ooxo nye mwa efa eemhango dange, ndele inamu di diinina. Alukileni kwaame, opo Ame nda hala okwaalukila kunye, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti. Ndelenee nye tamu pula: Mushike tu nokwaaluka? 8 Omunhu ota nyeka tuu Kalunga? Osheshi nye otamu nyeka nge ndele tamu ti: Mushike twe ku nyeka? Moitimulongo nomoiyandjiwa. 9 Nye mwa fingwa nokufingililwa, ndelenee natango tamu nyeka nge, nye, oshiwana ashishe. 10 Eteni oitimulongo aishe ya wana kelimba lange, opo mongulu yange mu kale eendja. Ndele yelekeni nge nye mu tale, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti, ngeenge ihandi ke mu yeululila omakende keulu ndele handi ke mu lokifila enangekonoupuna la wanenena. 11 Noshipaxu yo ohandi ke shi taataa punye, opo shiha hanaune po oiimati yomapya eni. Nomiviinyu domomapya itadi ka kala itadi ima, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti. 12 Opo nee oiwana aishe tai ke mu tanga nye ovanelao, osheshi nye otamu ka kala oshilongo sha hokiwa, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti.
13 Eendjovo deni mokupopya nge odi nodino, Omwene ta ti. Ndelenee nye tamu pula: Fye otwe ku popya ngahelipi mokati ketu? 14 Nye mwa tile: Okulongela Kalunga itaku kwafa sha, notwa mona shike mokudiinina kwetu onghedimhango yaye nokweenda twa djala oikutu yeefya koshipala shOmwene womatanga ovakwaita? 15 Hano paife ohatu tange elao lovashishimani. Havo aveke ava hava dini Kalunga tava kala va pama, nonande vo hava shindi Kalunga ve li memanguluko.
16 Opo vo ava hava tila Omwene ova kundafana kumwe. Ndele Omwene okwe shi dimbulukwa nokwe shi uda. Nokoshipala shaye pa shangwa embo lokudimbulukwa ava hava tila Omwene nohava fimaneke edina laye. 17 Ndele vo otava ka ninga emona lange mefiku olo handi ke li shita, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ta ti. Ndele Ame ohandi ke va filonghenda ngaashi omulumenhu ta file omona waye omumati onghenda, ou te mu longele. 18 Opo nee nye tamu ka mona vali etongolo pokati kovayuki novadinikalunga, pokati kaau ha longele Kalunga naau ihe mu longele.
