Zephaniah 3

¹Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city!

²She listeneth to no voice, She receiveth not admonition; She trusteth not in Jehovah, She draweth not near to her God.

³Her princes within her are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves; They reserve nothing for the morning.

⁴Her prophets are vainglorious, Men of treachery; Her priests pollute the sanctuary, They violate the law.

⁵But Jehovah is just in the midst of her; He doeth no iniquity. Every morning bringeth he his righteousness to light; he faileth not; Yet the wicked knoweth not shame.

⁶I have cut off nations; their towers are destroyed; I have laid waste their streets so that none passeth through; Their cities are made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant.

⁷Then I said, "Surely thou wilt fear me; thou wilt receive admonition, That thy habitation may not be cut off, As I have commanded concerning thee." But they were diligent to commit iniquity In all their doings.

⁸Therefore wait for me, saith Jehovah. Until the day when I rise up to the prey. For my purpose is to gather the nations, to assemble the kingdoms, To pour upon them my indignation, Even all the heat of my wrath. For with the fire of mine anger shall all the earth be devoured.

⁹Then will I again bestow upon the nations pure lips, So that they shall all of them call upon the name of Jehovah, And serve him with one consent.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants, the sons of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.

¹¹In that day thou shalt not be ashamed For all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; For I will take away from the midst of thee thy proud exulters, And thou shalt no more exalt thyself upon my holy mountain.

¹²I will leave in the midst of thee a humble and lowly people, Who trust in the name of Jehovah.

¹³The residue of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak falsehood; Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; Therefore shall they feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

¹⁴Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵Jehovah hath taken away thy punishments; He hath removed thine enemies. The king of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; Thou shalt see evil no more.

¹⁶In that day shall it be said to Jerusalem, Fear not! And to Zion, Let not thy hands hang down!

¹⁷Jehovah thy God will be in the midst of thee; The mighty one will save thee. He will rejoice over thee with gladness; He will pardon thee in his love; He will exult over thee with singing.

¹⁸I will gather them that mourn, far from the solemn assembly, They were far from thee; the reproach was a burden upon thee.

¹⁹Behold, at that time I will destroy all that afflict thee; And I will save the halting, and gather the scattered, And I will make them a praise and a name In every land where they have been put to shame.

²⁰At that time I will bring you back, And at that time I will gather you; For I will make you a name and a praise among all the nations of the earth, When I bring back your captives before your eyes, saith Jehovah.

Zephaniah 3

¹Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

²She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.

³Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

⁴Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

⁵The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

⁶I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

⁷I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

⁸Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

⁹For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

¹¹In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

¹²I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

¹³The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

¹⁴Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

¹⁵The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

¹⁶In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

¹⁷The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

¹⁸I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

¹⁹Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

²⁰At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.