< Zephaniah 3 >

1 Alas for her that is rebellious, and polluted, the city that oppresseth!
Wo! thou citee, terrere to wraththe, and bouyt ayen a culuer.
2 She hath hearkened to no voice, accepted no correction; in Yahweh, hath not trusted, to her God, hath not drawn near:
It herde not the vois of the Lord, and resseyuede not techyng, ether chastisyng; it tristenyde not in the Lord, it neiyide not to her God.
3 Her rulers in her midst, are roaring lions, —her judges, evening wolves, they have left nothing until morning!
Princes therof in myddil therof weren as liouns rorynge; iugis therof weren wolues, in the euentid thei leften not in to morewe.
4 Her prophets, are reckless, treacherous men! her priests, have profaned the holy, done violence to law.
Profetis therof weren woode, vnfeithful men; prestis therof defouliden hooli thing, thei diden vniustli ayens the lawe.
5 Yahweh, the Righteous One, is in her midst, he dealeth not perversely, —Morning by morning, his justice, bringeth he forth the light, He is not found lacking, but the perverse man knoweth no shame.
The Lord iust in the myddil therof, schal not do wickidnesse; erli, erli he schal yyue his dom in liyt, and it schal not be hid; forsothe the wickid puple knew not confusioun.
6 I have cut off nations, deserted are their towers, have made desolate their streets, that none passeth through; ruined are their cities, for want of men of note, from lack of any dweller!
Y loste folkis, and the corneris of hem ben distried; Y made the weies of hem desert, while there is not that schal passe. The citees of hem ben desolat, for a man is not left, nether ony dwellere.
7 I said, Surely thou wilt reverence, Me, wilt accept correction, lest her abode, should be cut of, howsoever I had punished her; but, in truth, they soon corrupted all their deeds.
Y seide, Netheles thou schalt drede me, thou schalt resseyue techyng; and the dwellyng place therof schal not perische, for alle thingis in whiche Y visitide it; netheles ful eerli thei risynge han corrupt alle her thouytis.
8 Wherefore, wait for me, urgeth Yahweh, until the day when I rise up as witness, for, my decision, is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them mine indignation, all the glow of mine anger, for, in the fire of my jealousy, shall be devoured the whole earth.
Wherfor abide thou me, seith the Lord, in the dai of my rysyng ayen in to comynge. For my doom is, that Y gadere folkis, and Y schal gadere rewmes; and Y schal schede out on hem myn indignacioun, and al wraththe of my strong veniaunce; for in fier of my feruour al erthe schal be deuourid.
9 Surely, then, will I turn unto the peoples a lip made pure, —that they all may call on the name of Yahweh, may serve him with one consent.
For thanne Y schal yelde to puplis a chosun lippe, that alle clepe inwardli in the name of the Lord, and serue to hym with o schuldre.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, [shall come] my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bear along a gift for me.
Ouer the floodis of Ethiopie, fro thens my bisecheris, the sones of my scaterid men, schulen brynge yifte to me.
11 In that day, wilt thou not turn pale for all thy deeds, wherein thou hast transgressed against me? For, then, will I take away out of thy midst thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt not again be haughty any more in my holy mountain:
In that day thou schalt not be confoundid on alle thi fyndyngis, in whiche thou trespassidist ayens me; for thanne Y schal take awei fro the myddil of thee grete spekeris of thi pride, and thou schalt no more put to, for to be enhaunsid in myn hooli hil.
12 So will I leave remaining in thy midst, a people oppressed and poor, —who will seek refuge in the name of Yahweh:
And Y schal leeue in the myddil of thee a pore puple and nedi; and thei schulen hope in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel—will not do perversity, nor speak falsehood, neither shall there be found in their mouth a tongue of deceit, —surely, they, shall feed and lie down, with none to make them afraid.
The relifs of Israel schulen not do wickidnesse, nether schulen speke leesyng, and a gileful tunge schal not be foundun in the mouth of hem; for thei schulen be fed, and schulen reste, and ther schal not be that schal make aferd.
14 Sing out, O daughter of Zion, shout aloud, O Israel, —rejoice and exult with all thy heart, O daughter Jerusalem:
These thingis seith the Lord, Douyter of Sion, herie thou hertli, synge thou, Israel; be thou glad, and make thou ioie withoutforth in al thin herte, thou douyter of Jerusalem.
15 Yahweh, hath set aside, thy judgments, hath turned back thy foe, —The king of Israel, Yahweh, is in thy midst, thou shalt not fear calamity, any more.
The Lord hath take a wei thi dom, hath turned a wey thin enemyes; the kyng of Israel the Lord is in myddil of thee, thou schalt no more drede yuel.
16 In that day, shall it be said—to Jerusalem, Do not fear, —O Zion, Let not thy hands hang down:
In that dai it schal be seid, Jerusalem, nyle thou drede; Sion, thin hondis be not clumsid.
17 Yahweh, thy God, in the midst of thee, as a mighty one, will save, —will be glad over thee with rejoicing, will be silent in his love, will exult over thee with shouts of triumph.
Thi Lord God is strong in the myddil of thee, he schal saue; he schal make ioie on thee in gladnesse, he schal be stille in thi louyng, he schal make ioie withoutforth on thee in heriyng.
18 The sad exiles from the appointed meeting, have I gathered, from thee, had they been! [but were] a burden on thee—a reproach!
Y schal gadere the foolis, ether veyn men, that wenten awei fro the lawe, for thei weren of thee, that thou haue no more schenschipe on hem.
19 Behold me! dealing with all thine oppressors, at that time, —and I will save her that is lame, and, her that hath been an outcast, will I carry, and I will make them to be a Praise and a Name, in the whole earth that hath witnessed their shame.
Lo! Y schal sle alle men that turmentiden thee in that tyme, and Y schal saue him that haltith, and Y schal gadere hir that was cast out; and Y schal putte hem in to heriyng, and in to name in ech lond of confusioun of hem, in that tyme in which Y schal brynge you,
20 At that time, will I bring you in, even at the time when I gather you, —Yea I will grant you to become a Name and a Praise, among all the peoples of the earth, when I cause them of your captivities to return before your eyes, saith Yahweh.
and in the tyme in which Y schal gadre you. For Y schal yyue you in to name, and in to heriyng to alle puplis of erthe, whanne Y schal conuerte youre caitifte bifore youre iyen, seith the Lord.

< Zephaniah 3 >