Chapter 1 edit

1 The birthun of the word of the Lord to Israel, in the hond of Malachie, the profete.

2 Y louyde you, seith the Lord, and ye seiden, In what thing louydist thou vs? Whether Esau was not the brother of Jacob, seith the Lord, and Y louyde Jacob,

3 forsothe Y hatide Esau? And Y haue put Seir the hillis of hym in to wildirnesse, and his eritage in to dragouns of desert.

4 That if Idumee seith, We ben distried, but we schulen turne ayen, and bilde tho thingis that ben distried; the Lord of oostis seith these thingis, These schulen bilde, and Y schal distrie; and thei schulen be clepid termes of wickidnesse, and a puple to whom the Lord is wroth, til in to with outen ende.

5 And youre iyen schulen se, and ye schulen seie, The Lord be magnefied on the terme of Israel.

6 The sone onourith the fader, and the seruaunt schal drede his lord; therfor if Y am fadir, wher is myn onour? and if Y am lord, where is my drede? seith the Lord of oostis. A! ye prestis, to you that dispisen my name; and ye seiden, Wherynne han we dispisid thi name?

7 Ye offren on myn auter vncleene breed, and ye seien, Wherynne han we defoulid thee? In that thing that ye seien, The boord of the Lord is dispisid.

8 If ye offren a blynd beest to be sacrifisid, whether it is not yuel? And if ye offren a crokid and sike beeste, whether it is not yuel? Offre thou it to thi duyk, if it schal plese hym, ether if he schal resseyue thi face, seith the Lord of oostis.

9 And now biseche ye the cheer of the Lord, that he haue merci on you; for of youre hond this thing is doon, if in ony maner he resseiue youre faces, seith the Lord of oostis.

10 Who is `in you that closith doris, and brenneth myn auter `of his owne wille, ethir freli? Wille is not to me in you, seith the Lord of oostis; and Y schal not resseyue a yifte of youre hond.

11 For fro rysyng of the sunne til to goyng doun, my name is greet in hethene men; and in ech place a cleene offring is sacrifisid, and offrid to my name; for my name is greet in hethene men, seith the Lord of oostis.

12 And ye han defoulid it in that that ye seien, The boord of the Lord is defoulid, and that that is put aboue is `worthi to be dispisid, with fier that deuourith it.

13 And ye seiden, Lo! of trauel; and ye han blowe it a wei, seith the Lord of oostis. And ye brouyten in of raueyns a crokid thlng and sijk, and brouyten in a yifte; whether Y schal resseyue it of youre hond? seith the Lord.

14 Cursid is the gileful, that hath in his floc a male beeste, and `he makynge a vow offrith a feble to the Lord; for Y am a greet kyng, seith the Lord of oostis, and my name is dredeful `in folkis.

Chapter 2 edit

1 And now, A! ye preestis, this maundement is to you.

2 If ye wolen here, and if ye `wolen not putte on the herte, that ye yyue glorie to my name, seith the Lord of oostis, Y schal sende nedynesse in to you, and Y schal curse to youre blessyngis; and Y schal curse hem, for ye han not putte on the herte.

3 Lo! Y schal caste to you the arm, and Y schal scatere on youre cheere the drit of youre solempnytees, and it schal take you with it.

4 And ye schulen wite, that Y sente to you this maundement, that my couenaunt were with Leuy, seith the Lord of oostis.

5 My couenaunt was with hym of lijf and pees; and Y yaf to hym a drede, and he dredde me, and he dredde of face of my name.

6 The lawe of trewthe was in his mouth, and wickidnesse was not foundun in hise lippis; in pees and in equite he walkide with me, and he turnede awei many men fro wickidnesse.

7 For the lippis of a prest kepen science, and thei schulen ayen seke the lawe of `the mouth of hym, for he is an aungel of the Lord of oostes.

8 But ye wenten awei fro the weie, and sclaundren ful many men in the lawe; ye maden voide the couenaunt of Leuy, seith the Lord of oostis.

9 For which thing and Y yaf you worthi to be dispisid, and bowen to alle puplis, as ye kepten not my weies, and token a face in the lawe.

10 Whether not o fadir is of alle you? whether o God made not of nouyt you? Whi therfor ech of you dispisith his brother, and defoulith the couenaunt of youre fadris?

11 Judas trespasside, and abhomynacioun is maad in Israel, and in Jerusalem; for Judas defoulide the halewyng of the Lord, which he louyde, and he hadde the douyter of an alien god.

12 The Lord schal distrie the man that dide this thing, the maister and disciple, fro the tabernacle of Jacob, and him that offrith a yifte to the Lord of oostis.

13 And eftsoone ye diden this thing; ye hiliden with teeris the auter of the Lord, with wepyng and mourenyng; so that Y biholde no more to sacrifice, nether resseyue ony thing plesaunt of youre hond.

14 And ye seiden, For what cause? For the Lord witnesside bitwixe thee and the wijf of thi `puberte, that is, tyme of mariage, which thou dispisidist, and this is thi felowe, and wijf of thi couenaunt.

15 Whether oon made not, and residue of spirit is his? and what sekith oon, no but the seed of God? Therfore kepe ye youre spirit, and nyle thou dispise the wijf of thi yongthe;

16 whanne thou hatist hir, leue thou hir, seith the Lord God of Israel. Forsothe wickidnesse schal kyuere the closyng of hym, seith the Lord of oostis; kepe ye youre spirit, and nyle ye dispise.

17 Ye maden the Lord for to trauele in youre wordis, and ye seiden, Wherynne maden we hym for to trauele? In that that ye seien, Ech man that doith yuel, is good in the siyt of the Lord, and siche plesen to hym; ether certis where is the God of doom?

Chapter 3 edit

1 Lo! Y sende myn aungel, and he schal make redi weie bifor my face; and anoon the lordshipere, whom ye seken, schal come to his hooli temple, and the aungel of testament, whom ye wolen. Lo! he cometh, seith the Lord of oostis;

2 and who schal mowe thenke the dai of his comyng? and who schal stonde for to se hym? For he schal be as fier wellynge togidere, and as erbe of fulleris;

3 and he schal sitte wellynge togidere and clensynge siluer, and he schal purge the sones of Leuy; and he schal purge hem as gold and as siluer, and thei schulen be offrynge to the Lord sacrifices in riytfulnesse.

4 And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem schal plese to the Lord, as the daies of the world, and as olde yeeris.

5 And Y schal come to you in doom, and Y schal be a swift witnesse to mysdoeris, `ether enchaunteris of deuelis craft, and to auouteris, and forsworn men, and that falsli calengen the hire of the hirid man, and widewis, and fadirles, `ether modirles, children, and oppressen a pilgrym, `nether dredden me, seith the Lord of oostis.

6 Forsothe Y am the Lord, and am not chaungid; and ye sones of Jacob ben not wastid.

7 Forsothe fro daies of youre fadris ye wenten awei fro my lawful thingis, and kepten not; turne ye ayen to me, and Y schal ayen turne to you, seith the Lord of oostis. And ye seiden, In what thing schulen we turne ayen?

8 If a man schal turmente God, for ye `togidere fitchen me. And ye seiden, In what thing `togidere fitchen we thee? In tithis and in `firste fruitis;

9 and ye ben cursid in nedynesse, and alle ye folc disseyuen me, and `togidere fitchen.

10 Brynge ye yn ech tithe in to my berne, that mete be in myn hous, and preue ye me on this thing, seith the Lord, if Y schal not opene to you the goteris of heuene, and schal schede out to you blessyng, til to aboundaunce.

11 And Y schal blame for you that that deuourith, and he schal not distrie the fruit of youre lond; nether bareyn vyneyerd schal be in the feeld,

12 seith the Lord of oostis, and alle folkis schulen seie you blessid; for ye schulen be a desirable lond, seith the Lord of oostis.

13 Youre wordis wexiden strong on me, seith the Lord; and ye seiden, What han we spokun ayens thee?

14 And ye seiden, He is veyn, that serueth God; and what wynnyng for we kepten hise heestis, and for we wenten sorewful bifore the Lord of oostis?

15 Therfor now we seien proude men blessid; for thei ben bildid doynge vnpitee, and thei temptiden God, and ben maad saaf.

16 Thanne men dredynge God spaken, ech with his neiybore; and the Lord perseyuede, and herde, and a book of mynde is writun bifor hym to `men dredynge God, and thenkynge his name.

17 And thei schulen be to me, seith the Lord of oostis, in the dai in which Y schal make, in to a special tresour; and Y schal spare hem, as a man sparith his sone seruynge to hym.

18 And ye schulen be conuertid, and ye schulen se, what is bitwixe the iust man and vnpitouse, bitwixe `the seruynge to the Lord and `not seruynge to hym.

Chapter 4 edit

1 For lo! a dai schal come, brennynge as a chymenei; and alle proude men, and alle doynge vnpitee schulen be stobul; and the dai comynge schal enflaume hem, seith the Lord of oostis, which schal not leeue to hem rote and buriownyng.

2 And to you dredynge my name the sunne of riytwisnesse schal rise, and heelthe in pennys of hym; and ye schulen go out, and schulen skippe, as a calf of the droue.

3 And ye schulen to-trede vnpitouse men, whanne thei schulen be aische vndur the soole of youre feet, in the dai in which Y do, seith the Lord of oostis.

4 Bithenke ye on the lawe of my seruaunt Moises, which Y comaundide to hym in Oreb, to al Israel comaundementis and domes.

5 Lo! Y schal sende to you Elie, the profete, bifore that the greet dai and orible of the Lord come.

6 And he schal conuerte the herte of fadris to sones, and the herte of sones to fadris of hem, lest perauenture Y come, and smyte the erthe with curs.