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 Yaawe* Alihawaa Maariyo* ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, “M be n na kiilaa le kii la naŋ n ñaato ka siloo parendi. Ali be nte meŋ na kuwo ñini kaŋ, m be naa n na buŋo to le kataba kiliŋ. Aduŋ kiilaa meŋ niŋ kambeŋo kumoo be naa, ali be lafiriŋ meŋ na, be naa le.” 2 Bari jumaa le si a ñaa tiliŋ noo ñiŋ luŋo la naa la? Jumaa le be loo noo la a ñaatiliŋo la niŋ a naata? Kaatu a be muluŋ na le ko tunkaŋ dimbaa, waraŋ kuurilaŋ saafunoo. 3 A be sii la le ko kodiforo tunkannaa, a ye Lewi koomalankoolu seneyandi, a ye ì tenteŋ ko sanoo niŋ kodiforoo ka ke ñaameŋ. Wo le to ì be naa ke noo la piriisoolu* ti, ka sadaalu* bo Yaawe ye tiliŋo kono. 4 Bituŋ Yaawe si naa seewoo Yerusalaamu niŋ Yahuuda bee la sadaa feŋolu la, ko a ka seewoo a la ñaameŋ nunto.
5 Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, “M be naa ali kaŋ ne ka ali kiitindi. M be tariyaa la ka batuutaatiyolu le la kuwo yitandi, jeenelaalu, seedenduroolu, moolu mennu ka ì la dookuulaalu la joo nakari, moolu mennu ka furuyaamusoolu toorandi, aniŋ aliyatiimoolu, moolu mennu buka tooñaa sabatindi ì niŋ tumarankewolu teema, ì maŋ sila n na.
6 “Nte Yaawe, m maŋ faliŋ de, aduŋ ali fanaa maŋ i dahaa ali la Yaakuba koomalankayaa la.”
Diyaamu luulunjaŋo: Moolu ñanta tuubiseyi la le
7 Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Ko ali la alifaa foloolu keta ñaameŋ, ali keta wo le ñaama, ali ye ali ñaa kaasi n na yaamaroolu la le, aduŋ ali maŋ ì nooma. Ali muru naŋ n kaŋ, m fanaa si muru ali kaŋ!
“Bari ali ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, ‘M̀ be muru la i kaŋ ñaadii?’
8 “Fo moo ñanta le ka Alla suuñaa baŋ? Bari alitolu wo de, alitolu ye n suuñaa le.
“Bari ali ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, ‘Ntolu si ite suuñaa noo ñaadii?’
“Ali ka a ke ali la jakoolu le to, aniŋ ali la sadaa koteŋolu. 9 Ali be tara la dankoo le kono, alitolu bankoo moolu bee. Kaatu ali be n suuñaa kaŋ ne. 10 Ali jakoolu bee samba naŋ maabodulaa buŋo to, fo n na buŋo kono si domoroo soto. Ali i yaaka nte la ali ye a juubee, fo nte Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo te Arijana palanteeroolu yele la ali ye, ŋa neema baa jindi naŋ ali kaŋ. 11 M be kuntiŋolu bayi la ali ye le, ì kana ali la bankoo siimaŋ feŋolu kasaara, aduŋ ali la wayini* yiroolu be diŋ na le kendeke. Nte Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo le ye a fo.
12 “Bankoolu bee le be ali la neemoo fo la. Ali la bankoo be ke la niiseewoo bankoo le ti.” Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo le ye a fo.
Diyaamu wooronjaŋo: Alla be lannamoolu joo la
13 Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Ŋa ali la kuma jawoolu moyi le, ali ye mennu fo m ma. Bari ali ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, ‘Ntolu ye kuma jawoolu fo i ma ñaadii le?’
14 “Ali ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, ‘Alla batoo maŋ nafaa soto. Muŋ nafaa le be ǹ ye jee, ka tara bulariŋ a la yaamaroolu nooma, aniŋ ka tara taa kaŋ Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ñaatiliŋo la ko saŋawoosiilaalu? 15 Bari saayiŋ a fele, faŋ wara moolu ǹ ka wolu le kumandi neema moolu la. Ì ka baara kuu kuruŋo la ñaa-wo-ñaa, ì ka ñaatotaa soto le. Ì ka tara Alla sooki kaŋ ñaa-wo-ñaa, ì ka kana le.’ ”
16 Yaawe ñaasilannaalu diyaamuta ñoo ye a kuwo la le, aduŋ a ye ì lamoyi le, a ye ì la kumakaŋo moyi. Bituŋ moolu mennu silata a la, ì ye a kuliyaa, ì toolu naata safee kitaaboo kono, ka ke a ye hakili bulandiraŋo ti.
17 Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Tooñaa luŋo m be meŋ parendi kaŋ naŋ, itolu le be ke la n na moo kummaalu ti komeŋ sanoo niŋ luuluwo. M be hiina la ì ye le, ko faa ka hiina a dinkewo ye ñaameŋ, meŋ ye a batu. 18 Ali be naa a loŋ na le kotenke, fataŋ-fansoo meŋ be moo kuruŋolu niŋ moo tilindiŋolu teema, aniŋ Alla batulaa niŋ Alla batubaloo teema.
