Di Messenger Dey Come to Refine
One messenger dey come to prepare di way, but di fire wey dey refine no dey comfortable. Di accusation na say dem dey tiff for tithe and offering, and di answer na invitation make dem test our Papa. Di people wey fear am talk among demself, and dem write one book of remembrance.
3 1Look, I dey send my messenger, and e go prepare di road before me. Then sharp-sharp di Oga wey una dey find go come im temple—Jesus, di messenger of di Covenant wey una dey happy for am. Look, e dey come, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk. a a v1 Di messenger wey dey prepare di road na John di Baptist, and di Oga wey come im temple na Jesus — di messenger of di Covenant. Na dis very words Mark take open im Gospel (Mark 1:2). 2“But who fit endure di day wey e go come? Who fit stand when e show? E be like fire wey dey refine, like soap wey person dey take wash cloth. 3E go sit down dey refine and dey purify silver; e go purify Levi im pikin dem and refine dem like gold and silver, and dem go bring offering come our Papa for correct-and-holy way. 4Then di offering of Judah and Jerusalem go please our Papa, like for di days wey don pass, like for di years before.”
5I go come near to judge una, sharp witness against people wey dey do juju, people wey dey commit adultery, people wey dey swear lie, wey dey cheat di worker for im pay, dey oppress widow and pikin wey no get papa-mama, dey push stranger comot, and no dey fear me, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk.
Come Back to Your Papa
6For me, your Papa, I no dey change; na why una, pikin dem of Jacob, no don scatter finish.
7Since di days of una grand-grand papa dem una don turn comot from my laws and una no keep dem. Come back to me, and I go come back to una, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk. But una dey ask, ‘How we go take come back?’
8Person fit tief from im Papa? But una dey tief from me. But una dey ask, ‘How we take tief from you?’ For di tenth and di offering dem. 9Curse dey on top una, for una dey tief from me—di whole nation of una. 10Bring di full tenth come di storehouse, make food dey for my house. Test me for dis matter, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk, and see whether I no go open di windows of heaven for una and pour blessing for una tire until nothing remain wey una need. 11I go rebuke di thing wey dey chop-chop for una, so e no go destroy di fruit of una ground, and una vine for di field no go fail to bear fruit, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk. 12Then all di nations go call una blessed, for una go be land wey dey sweet person, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk.
13Una words been hard against me, na so our Papa talk. But una dey ask, ‘Wetin we talk against you?’
14Una talk say, ‘To serve God na waste. Wetin we gain wey we keep im charge and waka like people wey dey mourn before di Papa of di army for heaven?’ 15Now we dey call di proud people blessed. People wey dey do evil dey prosper; dem even dey test God and dey escape.
16Then people wey dey fear our Papa talk to each other, and e listen and e hear. Dem write scroll of remembrance before am for di people wey dey fear am and dey treasure im name.
17Dem go be my own, na so di Papa of di army for heaven talk, for di day wey I go act, my special property. I go spare dem like how papa dey spare im pikin wey dey serve am. 18One more time una go see di difference between di person wey correct-and-holy and di wicked person, between person wey dey serve our Papa and person wey no dey serve am.
