Malachi 3

The Purifier

1 "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.2 "But 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.3 He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts.6 "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

7 "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes 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?'

You Have Robbed God

8 "Will a man trob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are trobbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until tit overflows.11 Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes, " says the LORD of hosts.12 "All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts.

13 "Your words have been arrogant against Me," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?'14 You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts?15 So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.'"

The Book of Remembrance

16 Then those who tfeared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.17 "They will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Malachi 4

Final Admonition

1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."2 "But for you who tfear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.3 You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the LORD of hosts.

4 "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.6 He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

Matthew 1

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of tJudah and his brothers.3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.

6 Jesse was the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon by tBathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah.11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Conception and Birth of Jesus

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned tto send her away secretly.20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been tconceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,25 tbut kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.