(A)“I have cut off nations;
    their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
    (B)so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
    without a man, without an inhabitant.
(C)I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
    (D)you will accept correction.
Then your[a] dwelling would not be cut off
    according to all that I have appointed against you.’[b]
But (E)all the more they were eager
    to make all their deeds corrupt.

“Therefore (F)wait for me,” declares the Lord,
    “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is (G)to gather nations,
    to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
    all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
    (H)all the earth shall be consumed.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
  2. Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

“I have destroyed nations;
    their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
    with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;(A)
    they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’(B)
Then her place of refuge[a] would not be destroyed,
    nor all my punishments come upon[b] her.
But they were still eager
    to act corruptly(C) in all they did.
Therefore wait(D) for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.[c]
I have decided to assemble(E) the nations,(F)
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(G) on them—
    all my fierce anger.(H)
The whole world will be consumed(I)
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
  2. Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over
  3. Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder