^3 (A)Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are ^(B)evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
⁴ Her ^(C)prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have ^[a]polluted the sanctuary,
They have done ^(D)violence to the law.
⁵ The Lord is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
^[b]Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But ^(E)the 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 (F)I 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 ^[c]they rose early and ^(G)corrupted all their deeds.

⁹ “For then I will restore to the peoples ^(L)a pure ^[e]language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
^10 (M)From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
¹¹ In 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 ^(N)rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
¹² I will leave in your midst
^(O)A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
^13 (P)The remnant of Israel ^(Q)shall do no unrighteousness
^(R)And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For ^(S)they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”

¹⁶ In that day ^(W)it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, ^(X)let not your hands be weak.
¹⁷ The Lord your God ^(Y)in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
^(Z)He 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 ^(AA)sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
¹⁹ Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the ^(AB)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.
²⁰ At that time ^(AC)I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you ^[g]fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.