Zephaniah 3
3
Judgment of Jerusalem and the Nations
1Woe to you, O rebellious and defiled one!
The oppressing city!
2She listens to no voice;
she does not accept correction.
In Yahweh she does not trust;
to her God she does not draw near.
3Her officials in her midst are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves;
they leave nothing until the morning.
4Her prophets are arrogant men of treachery;
her priests have defiled that which is holy;
they do violence to the law.
5Yahweh is righteous in her midst;
he does not do wickedness.
Morning by morning#Literally “In the morning, in the morning” he renders his judgment;
at dawn he does not fail,
but an evil one knows no shame.
6“I have cut off nations;
their strongholds are deserted.
I have laid waste their streets,
so that none pass through.
Their cities have been destroyed
and are without a man, without an inhabitant.
7I have said, ‘Surely she will fear me;
she will accept discipline.
Then her dwelling place will not be cut down,
nor all that I have brought upon her.’
Surely they rise early;
they make all their deeds corrupt.
8“Therefore, wait for me”—a declaration of Yahweh—
“for the day of my rising as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble#The traditional Hebrew has “assemble me”; this translation follows LXX kingdoms,
to pour out my wrath upon them, all my burning anger.
For by the fire of my anger all the land shall be consumed.
9Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure;#Literally “I will turn to the nations a purged lip”
that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh,
to serve him in unison.#Literally “with one shoulder”
10From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers and the daughter of my scattered ones
shall bring my offering.
11On that day you shall not be humiliated
on account of all your deeds
by which you have rebelled against me.
For then I shall remove from your midst
those exulting in your pride,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.#Literally “the mountain of my holiness”
12And I will leave in your midst
a people afflicted and poor,
and they shall take refuge
in the name of Yahweh.
13The remnant of Israel
shall not do wickedness;
they shall not speak deception,
nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.
For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall frighten them.”
14Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Cry aloud, O Israel!
Rejoice and be jubilant with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15Yahweh has annulled your judgments;
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst;
you shall no longer fear misfortune.
16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem,
“Fear not, O Zion;
your hands shall not hang limp.
17Yahweh your God is in your midst;
a mighty warrior who saves.
He shall rejoice over you with joy;
he renews#The translation follows the LXX text; the traditional Hebrew text reads “he will silence you in his love” you in his love;
he will exult over you with singing.
18I will gather those of you grieving on account of the feast;
they were raising against her a reproach.
19Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors;
I will save the lame and gather the outcast.
I will change#Or “make” them from shame
to glory and renown#Literally “a name” throughout the whole world.
20At that time I will bring you in;
at the time of my gathering you together.
For I will make you renowned#Literally “a name” and praised
among all the nations of the earth
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
says Yahweh.
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Zephaniah 3: LEB
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Zephaniah 3
3
Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption
1What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,
the city of violence and crime!
2No one can tell it anything;
it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord
or draw near to its God.
3Its leaders are like roaring lions
hunting for their victims.
Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,
who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
4Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.
Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.
5But the Lord is still there in the city,
and he does no wrong.
Day by day he hands down justice,
and he does not fail.
But the wicked know no shame.
6“I have wiped out many nations,
devastating their fortress walls and towers.
Their streets are now deserted;
their cities lie in silent ruin.
There are no survivors—
none at all.
7I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!
Surely they will listen to my warnings.
Then I won’t need to strike again,
destroying their homes.’
But no, they get up early
to continue their evil deeds.
8Therefore, be patient,” says the Lord.
“Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations.
For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth
and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them.
All the earth will be devoured
by the fire of my jealousy.
9“Then I will purify the speech of all people,
so that everyone can worship the Lord together.
10My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia#3:10 Hebrew Cush.
will come to present their offerings.
11On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
for you will no longer be rebels against me.
I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
12Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
13The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.”
14Sing, O daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over,
and you will never again fear disaster.
16On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
“Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
17For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.#3:17 Or He will be silent in his love. Greek and Syriac versions read He will renew you with his love.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
18“I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.#3:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
19And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you.
I will save the weak and helpless ones;
I will bring together
those who were chased away.
I will give glory and fame to my former exiles,
wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
20On that day I will gather you together
and bring you home again.
I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,
among all the nations of the earth,
as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
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