A precursor shall come before Christ. 3. The Priesthood, and Sacrifice of the new law are pure, 5. God who seeth all sinners will punish them: 10. but if they amend, they shall receive God's benefits. 13. Not evil men, but the good please God.A precurser shal come before Christ. 3. The Priesthood, and Sacrifice of the new law are pure, 5. God who seeth al sinners wil punish them: 10. but if they amend, they shal receiue Gods benefites. 13. Not euil men, but the good please God.✦
Behold I send mine Angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And forthwith shall come to his temple the Dominator, whom you seek, and the Angel of the testamentum: covenant, whom you desire. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts:BEHOLD I send a myne Angel, and he shal prepare the way before my face. And b forthwith shal come to his temple the Dominatour, whom you seeke, and c the Angel of the testament, whom you desire. Behold he cometh, sayth the Lord of hosts:✦Ecce ego mitto angelum meum, et præparabit viam ante faciem meam : et statim veniet ad templum suum Dominator quem vos quæritis, et angelus testamenti quem vos vultis. Ecce venit, dicit Dominus exercituum.
2and who shall be able to think the day of his advent? and who shall stand to see him? For he as it were purging fire, & as the herb of fullonum: cloth-scourers: cloth-cleaners:and who shal be able to thinke the day of his aduent? and who shal stand to see him? For he as it were purging fyre, & as the herbe of fullers:✦Et quis poterit cogitare diem adventus ejus, et quis stabit ad videndum eum ? ipse enim quasi ignis conflans, et quasi herba fullonum :
3and he shall sit purging, and cleansing the silver, and he shall purge the sons of Levi, and will strain them as gold, and as silver, and they shall be offering sacrifices to our Lord in justice.and he shal sit purging, and clensing the siluer, and he shal purge the sonnes of Leui, and wil streyne them as gold, and as siluer, and they shal be offering sacrifices to our Lord in iustice.✦et sedebit conflans, et emundans argentum : et purgabit filios Levi, et colabit eos quasi aurum et quasi argentum, et erunt Domino offerentes sacrificia in justitia.
4And the sacrifice of Juda and Jerusalem shall please our Lord, as the days of the world, and as the years of old.And the sacrifice of Iuda and Ierusalem shal please our Lord, as the dayes of the world, and as the yeares of old.✦Et placebit Domino sacrificium Juda et Jerusalem, sicut dies sæculi, et sicut anni antiqui.
5And I will come to you in judgement, and will be a swift witness to sorcerers, and adulteris: adulterers, and to the perjured, and them that calumniantur: defraud: wrongfully withhold the hire of the hired man, the widows, and pupillos: fatherless: orphans, and oppress the stranger, nor have feared me, saith the Lord of hosts.And d I wil come to you in iudgement, and e wil be a swift witnes to sorcerers, and aduouterers, and to the periured, and them that calumniate the hyre of the hyred man, the widowes, and pupils, and oppresse the stranger, nor haue feared me, sayth the Lord of hosts.✦Et accedam ad vos in judicio, et ero testis velox maleficis, et adulteris, et perjuris, et qui calumniantur mercedem mercenarii, viduas et pupillos, et opprimunt peregrinum, nec timuerunt me, dicit Dominus exercituum.
6For I the Lord, and I am not changed: and ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.For I the Lord, and I am not changed: and ye sonnes of Iacob are not consumed.✦Ego enim Dominus, et non mutor : et vos filii Jacob, non estis consumpti.
7For from the days of your fathers you have departed from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, saith the Lord of hosts. And you have said: Wherein shall we return?For from the dayes of your fathers you haue departed from mine ordinances, and haue not kept them. Returne to me, and I wil returne to you, sayth the Lord of hosts. And you haue sayd: Wherin shal we returne?✦A diebus enim patrum vestrorum recessistis a legitimis meis, et non custodistis : revertimini ad me, et revertar ad vos, dicit Dominus exercituum. Et dixistis : In quo revertemur ?
8Shall man configitis: afflict: vex God, because you do fasten me? And you have said: Wherein do we fasten thee? In tithes, and in first fruits.Shal man fasten God, because you do fasten me? And you haue sayd: Wherin do we fasten thee? In tithes, and in first fruites.✦Si affliget homo Deum, quia vos configitis me ? Et dixistis : In quo configimus te ? In decimis et in primitiis.
9And in penuria: want: destitution you are accursed, and you your whole nation fasten me.And in penurie you are accursed, and you your whole nation fasten me.✦Et in penuria vos maledicti estis, et me vos configitis gens tota.
10Bring in all the tithe into the barn: and let there be meat in my house, and prove me upon this, saith our Lord: if I open not unto you the floodgates of heaven, and pour you out blessing even to abundance,Bring in f al the tithe into the barne: and let there be meate in my house, and proue me vpon this, sayth our Lord: if I open not vnto you the fludgates of heauen, and powre you out blessing euen to abundance,✦Inferte omnem decimam in horreum, et sit cibus in domo mea : et probate me super hoc, dicit Dominus : si non aperuero vobis cataractas cæli, et effudero vobis benedictionem usque ad abundantiam :
11and I will rebuke for you the devourer, and he shall not corrupt the fruit of your land: neither shall the vine in the field be barren, saith the Lord of hosts.and I wil rebuke for you the deuourer, and he shal not corrupt the fruite of your land: neither shal the vine in the filde be barren, sayth the Lord of hosts.✦et increpabo pro vobis devorantem, et non corrumpet fructum terræ vestræ, nec erit sterilis vinea in agro, dicit Dominus exercituum.
12And all Nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a land worthy to be desired, saith the Lord of hosts.And al Nations shal cal you blessed: for you shal be a land worthie to be desired, sayth the Lord of hosts.✦Et beatos vos dicent omnes gentes : eritis enim vos terra desiderabilis, dicit Dominus exercituum.
13Your words have been forcible upon me, saith the Lord.Your wordes haue bene forcible vpon me, sayth the Lord.✦Invaluerunt super me verba vestra, dicit Dominus.
14And you said: What have we spoken against thee? You have said: He is vanus: futile: fruitless that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his precepts, and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of host?And you sayd: What haue we spoken against thee? You haue sayd: g He is vayne that serueth God, and what profite is it that we haue kept his precepts, and that we haue walked sorowful before the Lord of host?Et dixistis : Quid locuti sumus contra te ? Dixistis : Vanus est qui servit Deo : et quod emolumentum quia custodivimus præcepta ejus, et quia ambulavimus tristes coram Domino exercituum ?
15Therefore now we call the arrogant blessed, for they that do impiety are builded, and they have tempted God and are made safe.Therfore now we cal the arrogant blessed, for they that doe impietie are builded, and they haue tempted God and are made safe.✦Ergo nunc beatos dicimus arrogantes : siquidem ædificati sunt facientes impietatem, et tentaverunt Deum, et salvi facti sunt.
16Then spake they that feared our Lord, every one with his neighbour: and our Lord attended, and heard: and a book of monumenti: memorial: record was written before him for them that fear our Lord, and think on his name.Then spake they that feared our Lord, euerie one with his neighbour: and our Lord attended, and heard: and a booke of monument was writen before him for them that feare our Lord, and thinke on his name.✦Tunc locuti sunt timentes Dominum, unusquisque cum proximo suo : et attendit Dominus, et audivit, et scriptus est liber monumenti coram eo timentibus Dominum, et cogitantibus nomen ejus.
17And they shall be to me, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I do to my peculium: my own possession: treasured people and I will spare them, as a man spareth his son serving him.And they shal be to me, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I doe to my peculiar and I wil spare them, as a man spareth his sonne seruing him.✦Et erunt mihi, ait Dominus exercituum, in die qua ego facio, in peculium : et parcam eis, sicut parcit vir filio suo servienti sibi.
18And you shall convert, and shall see what is between the just, and the impious: and between him that serveth God, and serveth him not.And you shal conuert, and shal see what is betwen the iust, and the impious: and betwen him that serueth God, and serueth him not.✦Et convertemini, et videbitis quid sit inter justum et impium, et inter servientem Deo et non servientem ei.
The reading text follows the 1582 first edition.