Zephaniah 3
1 Woe [to] the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city!
Woe to the rebellious city! The violent city is defiled.
2 She hath not hearkened to the voice, She hath not accepted instruction, In Jehovah she hath not trusted, Unto her God she hath not drawn near.
She has not listened to the voice of God, nor accepted correction from Yahweh. She does not trust in Yahweh and will not approach her God.
3 Her heads in her midst [are] roaring lions, Her judges [are] evening wolves, They have not gnawn the bone in the morning.
Her princes are roaring lions in her midst. Her judges are evening wolves who leave nothing to be gnawed upon in the morning.
4 Her prophets unstable — men of treachery, Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have violated the law.
Her prophets are insolent and treasonous men. Her priests have profaned what is holy and have done violence to the law.
5 Jehovah [is] righteous in her midst, He doth not do perverseness, Morning by morning His judgment he giveth to the light, It hath not been lacking, And the perverse doth not know shame.
Yahweh is righteous in her midst. He can do no wrong. Morning by morning he will dispense his justice! It will not be hidden in the light, yet unrighteous people know no shame.
6 I have cut off nations, Desolated have been their chief ones, I have laid waste their out-places without any passing by, Destroyed have been their cities, Without man, without inhabitant.
“I have destroyed nations; their fortresses are ruined. I have made their streets ruins, so that no one passes over them. Their cities are destroyed so that there is no man inhabiting them.
7 I have said: Only, ye do fear Me, Ye do accept instruction, And her habitation is not cut off, All that I have appointed for her, But they have risen early, They have corrupted all their doings.
I said, 'Surely you will fear me. Accept correction and do not be cut off from your homes by all that I have planned to do to you.' But they were eager to begin each morning by corrupting all their deeds.
8 Therefore, wait for Me — an affirmation of Jehovah, For the day of My rising for prey, For My judgment [is] to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them Mine indignation, All the heat of Mine anger, For by the fire of My jealousy consumed is all the earth.
Therefore wait for me—this is Yahweh's declaration—until the day that I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms, to pour out on them my anger—all of my burning wrath; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth will be consumed.
9 For then do I turn unto peoples a pure lip, To call all of them by the name of Jehovah, To serve Him [with] one shoulder.
But then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call upon the name of Yahweh to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush, my supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Do bring My present.
From beyond the river of Cush my worshipers—my scattered people—will bring offerings due me.
11 In that day thou art not ashamed because of any of thine actions, Wherewith thou hast transgressed against Me, For then do I turn aside from thy midst The exulting ones of thine excellency, And thou dost add no more to be haughty, In My holy mountain.
In that day you will not be put to shame for all your deeds that you committed against me, since at that time I will remove from among you those who celebrated your pride, and because you will no longer act arrogantly on my holy mountain.
12 And I have left in thy midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the name of Jehovah.
But I will leave among you a lowly and poor people, and they will find refuge in the name of Yahweh.
13 The remnant of Israel do no perversity, nor speak lies, Nor found in their mouth is a deceitful tongue, For they have delight, and have lain down, And there is none troubling.
The remnant of Israel will no longer commit injustice or speak lies, and no deceitful tongue will be found in their mouth; so they will graze and lie down, and no one will make them afraid.”
14 Cry aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, Rejoice and exult with the whole heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel. Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.
15 Jehovah hath turned aside thy judgments, He hath faced thine enemy, The king of Israel, Jehovah, [is] in thy midst, Thou seest evil no more.
Yahweh has taken away your punishment; he has driven out your enemies! Yahweh is the king of Israel among you. You will never again fear evil!
16 In that day it is said to Jerusalem, 'Fear not, O Zion, let not thy hands be feeble.
In that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion. Do not let your hands falter.
17 Jehovah thy God [is] in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'
Yahweh your God is among you, a mighty one to save you. He will celebrate over you with joy; he will be silent over you in his love; he will be glad over you with a shout for joy.
18 Mine afflicted from the appointed place I have gathered, from thee they have been, Bearing for her sake reproach.
I will gather those who grieve, those who cannot attend the appointed feasts, so you will no longer bear any shame for it.
19 Lo, I am dealing with all afflicting thee at that time, And I have saved the halting one, And the driven out ones I do gather, And have set them for a praise and for a name, In all the land of their shame.
Behold, I am about to deal with all your oppressors. At that time, I will rescue the lame and gather up the outcast. I will make them as praise, and I will change their shame into renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I bring you in, Even at the time of My assembling you, For I give you for a name, and for a praise, Among all peoples of the land, In My turning back [to] your captivity before your eyes, said Jehovah!
At that time I will lead you; at that time I will gather you together. I will make all the nations of the earth respect and praise you, when you see that I restored you,” says Yahweh.
