Coverdale Bible
1535 by Miles Coverdale
Mal 1:1 The heuy burthen which the LORDE sheweth agaynst Israel by Malachy.
Mal 1:2 I haue loued you, sayeth ye LORDE: ad yet ye saye: wherin hast thou loued vs? Was not Esau Iacobs brother, sayeth the LORDE? yet haue I loued Iacob,
Mal 1:3 and hated Esau: Yee I haue made his hilles waist, and his heretage a wyldernesse for dragos.
Mal 1:4 And though Edom sayde: well, we are destroyed, we wil go buylde vp agayne the places that be waisted: yet (sayeth ye LORDE of hoostes) what they buylded, that brake I downe: so that it was called a cursed londe, and a people, whom the LORDE hath euer bene angrie withall.
Mal 1:5 Youre eyes haue sene it, ad ye youre selues must confesse, that ye LORDE hath brought the londe of Israel to greate honoure.
Mal 1:6 Shulde not a sonne honoure his father, and a seruaut his master? Yf I be now a father, where is myne honoure? Yf I be the LORDE, where am I feared? sayeth the LORDE of hoostes. Now to you prestes, that despise my name. And yf ye saye: wherin haue we despised thy name?
Mal 1:7 In this, that ye offre vnclene bred vpo myne aulter. And yf ye wil saye: wherin haue we offred eny vnclene thynge vnto the? In this that ye saye: the aulter of the LORDE is not to be regarded.
Mal 1:8 Yf ye offre ye blynde, is not yt euell? And yf ye offre the lame and sick, is not that euell? Yee offre it vnto thy prynce, shal he be cotent with the, or accepte thy personne, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes?
Mal 1:9 And now make youre prayer before God, that he maye haue mercy vpon vs: for soch thinges haue ye done. Shal he regarde youre personnes (thynke ye) sayeth the LORDE of hoostes?
Mal 1:10 Yee what is he amonge you, that wil do so moch as to shut ye dores, or to kyndle ye fyre vpo myne aulter for naught? I haue no pleasure in you, sayeth the LORDE off hoostes: and as for the meatofferinge, I wil not accepte it at youre honde.
Mal 1:11 For from the rysinge vp of ye sonne vnto ye goinge downe of the same, my name is greate amonge the Gentiles: Yee in euery place shal there sacrifice be done, and a clene meatofferinge offred vp vnto my name: for my name is greate amonge the Heithe, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 1:12 But ye haue vnhalowed it, in that ye saye, the aulter of ye LORDE is not to be regarded, and the thinge that is set thervpon, not worthy to be eaten.
Mal 1:13 Now saye ye: It is but laboure and trauayle, and thus haue ye thought scorne at it, (sayeth the LORDE off hoostes) offerynge robbery, yee the lame and the sicke. Ye haue brought me in a meatofferynge, shulde I accepte it of youre honde, sayeth the LORDE?
Mal 1:14 Cursed be the dyssembler, which hath in his flocke one that is male, and when he maketh a vowe, offereth a spotted one vnto the LORDE. For I am a greate kynge (sayeth the LORDE of hoostes) and my name is fearfull amonge the Heithen.
Mal 2:1 And now (o ye prestes) this commaundement toucheth you:
Mal 2:2 yf ye will not heare it, ner regarde it, to geue the glory vnto my name (sayeth the LORDE off hoostes) I wil sende a curse vpon you, & will curse youre blessinges: yee curse them will I yf ye do not take hede.
Mal 2:3 Beholde, I shal corruppe youre sede, and cast donge in youre faces: euen the donge of youre solempne feastes and it shal cleue fast vpon you.
Mal 2:4 And ye shall knowe, that I haue sent this commaundement vnto you: that my couenaunt which I made with Leui, might stonde, sayeth ye LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 2:5 I made a couenaunt of life and peace wt him: this I gaue him, that he might stonde in awe of me: and so he dyd feare me, ad had my name in reuerence.
Mal 2:6 The lawe of treuth was in his mouth, and there was no wickednesse founde in his lippes. He walked with me in peace ad equyte, and dyd turne many one awaye from their synnes.
Mal 2:7 For the prestes lippes shulde be sure knowlege, that men maye seke the lawe at his mouth, for he is a messaunger of the LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 2:8 But as for you, ye are gone clene out off the waye, and haue caused the multitude to be offended at the lawe: ye haue broken the couenaunt of Leui, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 2:9 Therfore wil I also make you to be despised, and to be of no reputacion amonge all ye people: because ye haue not kepte my wayes, but bene parciall in the lawe.
Mal 2:10 Haue we not all one father? Hath not one God made vs? why doth euery one off vs then despyse his owne brother, and so breake the couenaunt of oure fathers?
Mal 2:11 Now hath Iuda offended: yee the abhominacion is done in Israel and in Ierusale, for Iuda hath defyled the Sactuary of the LORDE, which he loued, and hath kepte the doughter of a straunge God.
Mal 2:12 But the LORDE shal destroye the ma that doth this (yee both the master & the scolar) out off the tabernacle of Iacob, with him that offreth vp meatofferynge vnto the LORDE off hoostes.
Mal 2:13 Now haue ye brought it to this poynte agayne, that the aulter of the LORDE is couered with teares wepynge and mournynge: so that I will nomore regarde the meatofferynge, nether wil I receaue or accepte enythinge at youre hodes.
Mal 2:14 And yet ye saye: wherfore? Euen because that where as the LORDE made a couenaut betwixte ye and the wife off thy youth, thou hast despysed her: Yet is she thyne owne copanyon and maried wife.
Mal 2:15 So dyd not the one, & yet had he an excellent sprete. What dyd then the one? He sought the sede promised of God. Therfore loke well to youre sprete, & let no man despyse ye wife of his youth.
Mal 2:16 Yf thou hatest her, put her awaye, sayeth the LORDE God of Israel and geue her a clothinge for the scorne, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes. Loke well then to youre sprete, and despyse her not.
Mal 2:17 Ye greue the LORDE with youre wordes, and yet ye saye: wherwithall haue we greued him? In this, that ye saye: All that do euell are good in the sight of God, and soch please him. Or els where is the God that punysheth?
Mal 3:1 Beholde, I wil sende my messaunger, which shal prepare the waye before me: and the LORDE whom ye wolde haue, shal soone come to his temple, yee euen the messaunger of the couenaunt whom ye longe for. Beholde, he commeth, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 3:2 But who maye abyde the daye of his commynge? Who shalbe able to endure, when he appeareth? For he is like a goldsmythes fyre, ad like wasshers sope.
Mal 3:3 He shall syt him downe to trye and to clense ye syluer, he shal pourge the children of Leui, and purifie them like as golde and syluer: that they maye brynge meatofferinges vnto the LORDE in rightuousnes.
Mal 3:4 Then shall the offeringe of Iuda and Ierusalem be acceptable vnto the LORDE, like as from the begynninge & in the yeares afore tyme.
Mal 3:5 I will come & punysh you, & I myself wil be a swift wytnes agaynst the witches, agaynst the aduouterers, agaynst false swearers: yee ad agaynst those, that wrogeously kepe backe the hyrelynges dewty: which vexe the wyddowes & the fatherlesse, & oppresse the straunger, and feare not me, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORDE yt chaunge not, & ye (o children of Iacob) wil not leaue of:
Mal 3:7 ye are gone awaye fro myne ordinauces, & sens ye tyme of youre forefathers haue ye not kepte them. Turne you now vnto me, and I wil turne me vnto you, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes. Ye saye: Wherin shal we turne?
Mal 3:8 Shulde a man vse falsede and disceate with God, as ye vse falsede and disceate with me? Yet ye saye: wherin vse we disceate with the? In Tythes and heaue offerynges.
Mal 3:9 Therfore are ye cursed with penury, because ye dyssemble with me, all the sorte of you.
Mal 3:10 Brynge euery Tythe in to my barne, yt there maye be meat in myne house: and proue me withall (sayeth the LORDE of hoostes) yf I wil not open the wyndowes of heauen vnto you, and poure you out a blessinge with plenteousnesse.
Mal 3:11 Yee I shal reproue the consumer for youre sakes, so that he shall not eate vp the frute of youre grounde, nether shal ye vynyarde be baren in the felde, sayeth ye LORDE of hoostes:
Mal 3:12 In so moch that all people shal saye, that ye be blessed, for ye shall be a pleasaunt lode, sayeth the LORDE off hoostes.
Mal 3:13 Ye speake hard wordes agaynst me, sayeth the LORDE. And yet ye saye: What haue we spoken agaynst the?
Mal 3:14 Ye haue sayed: It is but lost laboure, to serue God: What profit haue we for kepynge his commaundementes, and for walkinge humbly before the LORDE off hoostes?
Mal 3:15 Therfore maye we saye, that the proude are happie, and that they which deale with vngodlynesse, are set vp: for they tempte God, and yet escape.
Mal 3:16 But they that feare God, saye thus one to another: The LORDE cosidreth and heareth it. Yee it is before him a memoriall boke written for soch as feare the LORDE, and remembre his name.
Mal 3:17 And in the daye that I wil make (saieth ye LORDE of hoostes) they shalbe myne owne possession: and I will fauoure them, like as a man fauoureth his owne sonne, that doth him seruyce.
Mal 3:18 Turne you therfore, and considre what difference is betwixte the rightuous and vngodly: betwixte him that serueth God, ad him that serueth him not.
Mal 4:1 For marck, the daye commeth that shall burne as an oue: and all the proude, yee and all soch as do wickednesse, shalbe straw: and the daye that is for to come, shall burne the vp (sayeth the LORDE of hoostes) so that it shal leaue them nether rote ner braunch.
Mal 4:2 But vnto you that feare my name, shall the Sone of rightuousnesse aryse, & health shalbe vnder his winges. Ye shal go forth, & multiplie as ye fat calues.
Mal 4:3 Ye shal treade downe ye vngodly: for they shalbe like the asshes vnder the soles of youre fete, in the daye yt I shal make, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes.
Mal 4:4 Remembre the lawe of Moses my seruaunt, which I committed vnto him in Oreb for all Israel, with the statutes and ordinaunces.
Mal 4:5 Beholde, I will sende you Elias ye prophet: before the comynge off the daye of the great and fearfull LORDE.
Mal 4:6 He shall turne the hertes of the fathers to their children and the hertes of the children to their fathers, that I come not, and smyte the earth with cursynge.
