Zephaniah 3
3
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
1Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
2She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the Lord,
She has not drawn near to her God.
3#Ezek. 22:27Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are #Jer. 5:6; Hab. 1:8evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
4Her #Hos. 9:7prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have polluted the sanctuary,
They have done #Ezek. 22:26; Mal. 2:7, 8violence to the law.
5The Lord is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But #Jer. 3:3the unjust knows no shame.
6“I have cut off nations,
Their fortresses are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
With none passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
There is no one, no inhabitant.
7#Jer. 8:6I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,
You will receive instruction’—
So that her dwelling would not be cut off,
Despite everything for which I punished her.
But they rose early and #Gen. 6:12corrupted all their deeds.
A Faithful Remnant
8“Therefore #Prov. 20:22; Mic. 7:7; Hab. 2:3wait for Me,” says the Lord,
“Until the day I rise up for plunder;
My determination is to #Is. 66:18; Ezek. 38:14–23; Joel 3:2; Mic. 4:12; Matt. 25:32gather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth #Zeph. 1:18shall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.
9“For then I will restore to the peoples #Is. 19:18; 57:19a pure language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
10#Ps. 68:31; Is. 18:1; Acts 8:27From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who #Is. 2:12; 5:15; Matt. 3:9rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
12I will leave in your midst
#Is. 14:32; Zech. 13:8, 9A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
13#Is. 10:20–22; (Mic. 4:7)The remnant of Israel #Is. 60:21shall do no unrighteousness
#Zech. 8:3, 16; Rev. 14:5And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For #Ezek. 34:13–15, 28they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
Joy in God’s Faithfulness
14#Is. 12:6Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
#(John 1:49)The King of Israel, the Lord, #Ezek. 48:35; (Rev. 7:15)is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
16In that day #Is. 35:3, 4it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, #Job 4:3; Heb. 12:12let not your hands be weak.
17The Lord your God #Zeph. 3:5, 15in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
#Deut. 30:9; Is. 62:5; 65:19; Jer. 32:41He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18“I will gather those who #Lam. 2:6sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
19Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the #(Ezek. 34:16; Mic. 4:6, 7)lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
20At that time #Is. 11:12; Ezek. 28:25; Amos 9:14I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.
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Zephaniah 3: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.