Zephaniah 3:1-8

Contemporary English Version

Sinful Jerusalem

3 Too bad for that disgusting,
    corrupt, and lawless city!
²Forever rebellious
    and rejecting correction,
Jerusalem refuses to trust
    or obey the Lord God.
³Its officials are roaring lions,
    its judges are wolves;
in the evening they attack,
    by morning nothing is left.
⁴Jerusalem's prophets are proud
    and not to be trusted.
The priests have disgraced
the place of worship
    and abused God's Law.
⁵All who do evil are shameless,
but the Lord does right
    and is always fair.
With the dawn of each day,
    God brings about justice.

⁶The Lord wiped out nations
and left fortresses
    crumbling in the dirt.
Their streets and towns
were reduced to ruins
    and emptied of people.
⁷God felt certain that Jerusalem
would learn to respect
    and obey him.
Then he would hold back
from punishing the city
    and not wipe it out.
But everyone there was eager
    to start sinning again.

Nations Will Turn to the Lord

⁸The Lord said:
Just wait for the day
    when I accuse you nations.
I have decided on a day,
    when I will bring together
every nation and kingdom
and punish them all
    in my fiery anger.
I will become furious
    and destroy the earth.