Malachi Chapter 3
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
And this again ye do: ye cover the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, neither receiveth it with good will at your hand.
2
Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Jehovah hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
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And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
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For I hate putting away, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith Jehovah of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
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Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of Jehovah, and he delighteth in them; or where is the God of justice?
6
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.
7
But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
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and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness.
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Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
10
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner
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from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
12
For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
13
From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return?
14
Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
15
Ye are cursed with the curse; for ye rob me, even this whole nation.
16
Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough
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to receive it.
18
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek will suddenly come to his temple, and the Angel of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.
2
But who shall endure the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he will be like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' lye.
3
And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver; and he will purify the children of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah an oblation in righteousness.
4
Then shall the oblation of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hired servant in [his] wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
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For I Jehovah change not, and ye, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
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Since the days of your fathers have ye departed from my statutes, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return?
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Will a man robGod? But ye rob me. And ye say, Wherein do we rob thee? [In] tithes and heave-offerings.
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Ye are cursed with a curse; and me ye rob, [even] this whole nation.
10
Bring the whole tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it.
11
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.
12
And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts.
13
Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah; but ye say, What have we been speaking against thee?
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Ye say, It is vain to serveGod; and what profit is it that we keep his charge, and that we walk mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?
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And now we hold the proud for happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they temptGod, and they escape.
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Then they that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another; and Jehovah observed [it], and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.
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And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure, saith Jehovah of hosts, in the day that I prepare; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
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And ye shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that servethGod and him that serveth him not.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come into his temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom ye take pleasure in: behold, he is coming, saith the Lord Almighty.
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And who will abide the day of his coming? or who will withstand at his appearing? for he is coming in as the fire of a furnace and as the herb of fullers.
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He shall sit to melt and purify as it were silver, and as it were gold: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver, and they shall offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.
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And the sacrifice of Juda and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to the Lord, according to the former days, and according to the former years.
5
And I will draw near to you in judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the witches, and against the adulteresses, and against them that swear falsely by my name, and against them that keep back the hireling's wages, and them that oppress the widow, and afflict orphans, and that wrest the judgment of the stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord Almighty.
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For I am the Lord your God, and I am not changed:
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but ye, the sons of Jacob, have not refrained from the iniquities of your fathers: ye have perverted my statutes, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, saith the Lord Almighty. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
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Will a man insult God? for ye insult me. But ye say, Wherein have we insulted thee? In that the tithes and first-fruits are with you [still].
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And ye do surely look off from me, and ye insult me.
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The year is completed, and ye have brought all the produce into the storehouses; but there shall be the plunder thereof in its house: return now on this behalf, saith the Lord Almighty, [see] if I will not open to you the torrents of heaven, and pour out my blessing upon you, until ye are satisfied.
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And I will appoint food for you, and I will not destroy the fruit of your land; and your vine in the field shall not fail, saith the Lord Almighty.
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And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a desirable land, saith the Lord Almighty.
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Ye have spoken grievous words against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye said, Wherein have we spoken against thee?
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Ye said, He that serves God labours in vain: and what have we gained in that we have kept his ordinances, and in that we have walked as suppliants before the face of the Lord Almighty?
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And now we pronounce strangers blessed; and all they who act unlawfully are built up; and they have resisted God, and [yet] have been delivered.
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Thus spoke they that feared the Lord, every one to his neighbour: and the Lord gave heed, and hearkened, and he wrote a book of remembrance before him for them that feared the Lord and reverenced his name.
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And they shall be mine, saith the Lord Almighty, in the day which I appoint for a peculiar possession; and I will make choice of them, as a man makes choice of his son that serves him.
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Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serves God, and him that serves [him] not.
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For, behold, a day comes burning as an oven, and it shall consume them; and all the aliens, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that is coming shall set them on fire, saith the Lord Almighty, and there shall not be left of them root or branch.
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But to you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and healing [shall be] in his wings: and ye shall go forth, and bound as young calves let loose from bonds.
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And ye shall trample the wicked; for they shall be ashes underneath your feet in the day which I appoint, saith the Lord Almighty.
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And, behold, I will send to you Elias the Thesbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes;
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who shall turn again the heart of the father to the son, and the heart of a man to his neighbour, lest I come and smite the earth grievously.
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Remember the law of my servant Moses, accordingly as I charged him [with it] in Choreb for all Israel, [even] the commandments and ordinances.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Ecce ego mitto angelum meum, et præparabit viam ante faciem meam. Et statim veniet ad templum suum Dominator, quem vos quæritis, et angelus testamenti, quem vos vultis. Ecce venit, dicit Dominus exercituum:
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et quis poterit cogitare diem adventus eius, et quis stabit ad videndum eum? Ipse enim quasi ignis conflans, et quasi herba fullonum:
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et sedebit conflans, et emundans argentum, et purgabit filios Levi, et colabit eos quasi aurum, et quasi argentum, et erunt Domino offerentes sacrificia in iustitia.
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Et placebit Domino sacrificium Iuda, et Ierusalem sicut dies sæculi, et sicut anni antiqui.
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Et accedam ad vos in iudicio, et ero testis velox maleficis, et adulteris, et periuris, et qui calumniantur mercedem mercenarii, viduas, et pupillos, et opprimunt peregrinum, nec timuerunt me, dicit Dominus exercituum.
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Ego enim Dominus, et non mutor: et vos filii Iacob non estis consumpti.
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A diebus enim patrum vestrorum recessistis a legitimis meis, et non custodistis. Revertimini ad me, et revertar ad vos, dicit Dominus exercituum. Et dixistis: In quo revertemur?
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Si affliget homo Deum, quia vos configitis me? Et dixistis: In quo configimus te? In decimis, et in primitiis.
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Et in penuria vos maledicti estis, et me vos configitis gens tota.
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Inferte omnem decimam in horreum, et sit cibus in domo mea, et probate me super hoc, dicit Dominus: si non aperuero vobis cataractas cæli, et effudero vobis benedictionem usque ad abundantiam,
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et increpabo pro vobis devorantem, et non corrumpet fructum terræ vestræ: nec erit sterilis vinea in agro, dicit Dominus exercituum.
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Et beatos vos dicent omnes Gentes: eritis enim vos terra desiderabilis, dicit Dominus exercituum.
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Invaluerunt super me verba vestra, dicit Dominus.
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Et dixistis: Quid locuti sumus contra te? Dixistis: Vanus est, qui servit Deo: et quod emolumentum quia custodivimus præcepta eius, et quia ambulavimus tristes coram Domino exercituum?
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ergo nunc beatos dicimus arrogantes: siquidem ædificati sunt facientes impietatem, et tentaverunt Deum, et salvi facti sunt.
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Tunc locuti sunt timentes Dominum, unusquisque cum proximo suo: Et attendit Dominus, et audivit: et scriptus est liber monumenti coram eo timentibus Dominum, et cogitantibus nomen eius.
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Et erunt mihi, ait Dominus exercituum, in die, qua ego facio, in peculium: et parcam eis, sicut parcit vir filio suo servienti sibi.
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Et convertemini, et videbitis quid sit inter iustum, et impium: et inter servientem Deo, et non servientem ei.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me! The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. Behold, the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, is coming!” says the LORD of Armies.
2
“But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderers’ soap;
3
and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to the LORD offerings in righteousness.
4
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD as in the days of old and as in ancient years.
5
I will come near to you to judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says the LORD of Armies.
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“For I, the LORD, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
7
From the days of your fathers you have turned away from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings.
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You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation.
10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says the LORD of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be enough room for.
11
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says the LORD of Armies.
12
“All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the LORD of Armies.
13
“Your words have been harsh against me,” says the LORD. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against you?’
14
You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God,’ and ‘What profit is it that we have followed his instructions and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of Armies?
15
Now we call the proud happy; yes, those who work wickedness are built up; yes, they tempt God, and escape.’
16
Then those who feared the LORD spoke one with another; and the LORD listened and heard, and a book of memory was written before him for those who feared the LORD and who honored his name.
17
They shall be mine,” says the LORD of Armies, “my own possession in the day that I make. I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.
18
Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn’t serve him.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.
2
And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he <FI>is<Fi> as fire of a refiner, And as soap of a fuller.
3
And he hath sat, a refiner and purifier of silver, And he hath purified the sons of Levi, And hath refined them as gold and as silver, And they have been to Jehovah bringing nigh a present in righteousness.
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And sweet to Jehovah hath been the present of Judah and Jerusalem, As in days of old, and as in former years.
5
And I have drawn near to you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers, And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.
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For I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah, I have not changed, And ye, the sons of Jacob, Ye have not been consumed.
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Even from the days of your fathers Ye have turned aside from My statutes, And ye have not taken heed. Turn back unto Me, and I turn back to you, Said Jehovah of Hosts. And ye have said, `In what do we turn back?'
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Doth man deceive God? but ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: `In what have we deceived Thee?' The tithe and the heave-offering!
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With a curse ye are cursed! And Me ye are deceiving--this nation--all of it.
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Bring in all the tithe unto the treasure-house, And there is food in My house; When ye have tried Me, now, with this, Said Jehovah of Hosts, Do not I open to you the windows of heaven? Yea, I have emptied on you a blessing till there is no space.
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And I have pushed for you against the consumer, And He doth not destroy to you the fruit of the ground, Nor miscarry to you doth the vine in the field, Said Jehovah of Hosts.
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And declared you happy have all the nations, For ye are a delightful land, said Jehovah of Hosts.
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Hard against Me have been your words, Said Jehovah, and ye have said: `What have we spoken against Thee?'
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Ye have said, `A vain thing to serve God! And what gain when we kept His charge? And when we have gone in black, Because of Jehovah of Hosts?
15
And now, we are declaring the proud happy, Yea, built up have been those doing wickedness, Yea they have tempted God, and escape.'
16
Then have those fearing Jehovah spoken one to another, And Jehovah doth attend and hear, And written is a book of memorial before Him Of those fearing Jehovah, And of those esteeming His name.
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And they have been to Me, said Jehovah of Hosts, In the day that I am appointing--a peculiar treasure, And I have had pity on them, As one hath pity on his son who is serving him.
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And ye have turned back and considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God and him who is not His servant.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).