The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Of the messenger of the Lorde, Iohn̄ Baptyste. Of the daye of the Lorde, and of Eliah.

CAPI. III.

BEholde, I wyl sende my messenger, whi¦che [ A] shall prepare the waye before me:* 1.1 and the Lorde whome ye wolde haue, shall soone come to his temple, yea euen the messenger of the couenaunte whome ye lōge for.

Beholde, he commeth, saythe the Lorde of hoostes. But who maye abyde the daye of his commynge? Who shal be hable to endure whē he appeareth? For he is like a goldsmy∣thes fyre, & like wasshers sope. He shal sit him downe to trye and to clense the syluer, he shall pourge the chyldren of Leui, and purify them lyke as gold and syluer: that they may brynge meatofferinges vnto the Lorde in rightousnesse. Then shall the offeringe of Iu¦da and Ierusalem be acceptable vnto y^e Lord [ B] lyke as from the beginnyng and in the yeres afore tyme.

I will come and punysh you, and I my self wyl be a swift witnesse agaynst the witches agaynste the aduouterers, agaynste false swe¦rers: yea and agaynst those, that wrongously kepe backe the hyrelynges dewty which vex the wyddowes and the fatherlesse, & opresse the straunger, and feare not me, sayth y^e Lord of hostes.* 1.2 For I am the Lorde that chaunge not, & ye (O children of Iacob) wil not leaue of: ye are gone away fro myne ordynaunces & sens the tyme of your forefathers haue ye not kepte them. [ C]

Turne you now vnto me,* 1.3 and I wil turne me vnto you, saythe the Lorde of hoostes, ye saye: Wherin shall we turne? Shulde a mā vse falshed and disceyte with God as ye vse falshed and disceyt with me?

Yet ye say wherin vse we disceyte with y^e? In tythes and heaueoffrynges.* 1.4 Therfore are ye cursed with penury, because ye dissemble with me, all the sorte of you.

Brynge euerye tithe into my barne, that there maye be meate in myne house: & proue me withall (sayth the Lorde of hostes) yf I

wyll not open the wyndowes of heauen vn¦to you, and poure you oute a blessinge with plenteousnesse. Yea I shall reproue the consu¦mer for your sakes, so y^t he shal not eate vp y^e frute of youre grounde, neither shall the vyn¦yarde be baren in the felde, sayth the Lord of hostes: In so moche that all people shal say that ye be blessed, for ye shall be a pleasaunt land, saythe the Lorde of hostes.

Ye speake harde wordes agaynst me, sayth the Lord. And yet ye say: What haue we spo∣ken agaynst the? Ye haue sayd:

[ D] It is but lost laboure, to serue God? What profyt haue we for kepinge his commaunde∣mentes, and for walking humbly before the Lord of hostes? Therfore maye we say, that the proude are happy, and that they whiche deale with vngodlynesse, are set vp: for they tempte God, and yet escape.

But they that feare God, say thus one to an other: the Lorde consydreth and heareth it. Yea it is before him a memoryal boke wri¦ten for suche as feare the Lorde, and remem∣bre his name. And in y^e day that I wyl make (sayth the Lord of hostes) they shal be myne owne possession: and I wyll fauoure them, lyke as a man fauoureth his owne son, that doth him seruyce. Turne you therfore, and cō¦sydre what difference is betwyxte the rygh∣tous & vngodly:* 1.5 betwyxt him that serueth God and him that serueth him not.

For marcke, the daye commeth that shall burne as an ouen: and al the proude, yea and all suche as do wickednesse, shall be strawe: and the daye that is for to come, shall burne them vp (saythe the Lorde of hostes) so that it shall leaue them neyther rote ne braunche.

But vnto you that feare my name, shall that Sonne of ryghtousnesse aryse, & health shall be vnder his winges: ye shall go forth & multyply as the fat calues. Ye shal treade downe the vngodlye: for they shall be lyke the asshes vnder the soles of youre fete, in the daye that I shall make, saythe the Lorde of hoostes.* 1.6 Remembre the lawe of Moses my seruaunte whiche I commytted vn¦to him in Oreb for al Israel,* 1.7 with the statutes and or∣dy∣naunces. Beholde I wyll sende you Elyas the Prophete: before the commynge of the day of y^e great & fearful Lorde.* 1.8 He shall turne the hartes of the fathers to their children and the hertes of the children to their fa∣thers, that I come not & smite the earth with cur¦singe

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math .xi. b Marke .i. a Luke .vii .c Gen .iiii. a v. d Esay .lxiiii. a
• * 1.2

  Deut .xxxi. f iiii. Reg .xvii .c
• * 1.3

  zacha .i. a
• * 1.4

  Leui .xxvii. d Agge .i. a
• * 1.5

  Psal .xviii. a
• * 1.6

  Du••
• * 1.7

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 xvii.
• * 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉