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´When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne, with all the nations gathered before him. He will separate people into two groups, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; he will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, "You have my Father´s blessing; come, take possession of the kingdom that has been ready for you since the world was made.
For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me into your home; when naked, you clothed me; when I was ill, you came to my help; when in prison, you visited me." Then the righteous will reply,
"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and come to visit you?" And the king will answer, "Truly I tell you: anything you did for one of my brothers here, however insignificant, you did for me."
Then he will say to those on his left,
"A curse is on you; go from my sight to the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his angels. For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat; when thirsty, nothing to drink; when I was a stranger, you did not welcome me; when I was naked, you did not clothe me; when I was ill and in prison, you did not come to my help." And they in their turn will reply, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and did nothing for you?" And he will answer, "Truly I tell you: anything you failed to do for one of these, however insignificant, you failed to do for me." And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.´
Source: The Revised English Bible, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, 1997, Matthew, 25, 31-46. The Revised English Bible was planned and directed by representatives of THE BAPTIST UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN, THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES FOR WALES, THE IRISH COUNCIL OF CHURCHES, THE LONDON YEARLY MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, THE METHODIST CHURCH OF GREAT BRITAIN, THE MORAVIAN CHURCH IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ENGLAND AND WALES, THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN IRELAND, THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SCOTLAND, THE SALVATION ARMY, THE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH, THE BIBLE SOCIETY, THE NATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND.
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Return to me and I’ll return to you,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “But you ask, ‘How will we return?’ “Will a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “By the tithe and the offering. You are cursed under the curse, the entire nation, because you are robbing me!
“Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure. And I’ll prevent the devourer from harming you, so that he does not destroy the crops of your land. Nor will the vines in your fields drop their fruit,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.
“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “You have spoken arrogant words against me,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What did we say against you?’ You said, ‘It is futile to serve God,’ and, ‘What did we get out of it when we carried out his requirements and went about like mourners in the presence of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies?’ and, ‘Now we call the arrogant one blessed. Those who do evil prosper and those who challenge God escape the consequences.’” Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other. The LORD listened and took note, and a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence about those who fear the LORD and honor His name. “They’ll be mine,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “in the day when I prepare my treasured possession. I’ll spare them, just as a man spares his own son who serves him. When you return, you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between the one who serves God and the one who does not.” “The coming day is certainly going to burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and all who practice evil will be stubble, the coming day will set them on fire,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in its light for those who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves released from their stalls and trample down the wicked. Indeed, they will become ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I do this,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “Remember the Law of Moses my servant that I gave him at Horeb for all Israel, both the decrees and laws. “Pay attention! I’m sending Elijah the prophet to you before the great and dreadful Day of the LORD comes, and he will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I’ll come, strike the land, and utterly destroy it.”
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version, Malachi, 3, 7 - 4, 6.
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