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Judgment of Jerusalem and the Nations

Woe to you, O rebellious and defiled one!
    The oppressing city!
She listens to no voice;
    she does not accept correction.
In Yahweh she does not trust;
    to her God she does not draw near.
Her officials in her midst are roaring lions;
    her judges are evening wolves;
        they leave nothing until the morning.
Her prophets are arrogant men of treachery;
    her priests have defiled that which is holy;
        they do violence to the law.
Yahweh is righteous in her midst;
    he does not do wickedness.
Morning by morning[a] he renders his judgment;
    at dawn he does not fail,
but an evil one knows no shame.
“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.
I 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.
“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[b] 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.
Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure;[c]
    that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh,
    to serve him in unison.[d]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers and the daughter of my scattered ones
    shall bring my offering.
11 On 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.[e]
12 And I will leave in your midst
    a people afflicted and poor,
and they shall take refuge
    in the name of Yahweh.
13 The 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.”
14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
    Cry aloud, O Israel!
Rejoice and be jubilant with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 Yahweh 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.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem,
    “Fear not, O Zion;
    your hands shall not hang limp.
17 Yahweh your God is in your midst;
    a mighty warrior who saves.
He shall rejoice over you with joy;
    he renews[f] you in his love;
    he will exult over you with singing.
18 I will gather those of you grieving on account of the feast;
    they were raising against her a reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors;
    I will save the lame and gather the outcast.
I will change[g] them from shame
    to glory and renown[h] throughout the whole world.
20 At that time I will bring you in;
    at the time of my gathering you together.
For I will make you renowned[i] and praised
    among all the nations of the earth
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
    says Yahweh.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:5 Literally “In the morning, in the morning”
  2. Zephaniah 3:8 The traditional Hebrew has “assemble me”; this translation follows LXX
  3. Zephaniah 3:9 Literally “I will turn to the nations a purged lip”
  4. Zephaniah 3:9 Literally “with one shoulder”
  5. Zephaniah 3:11 Literally “the mountain of my holiness”
  6. Zephaniah 3:17 The translation follows the LXX text; the traditional Hebrew text reads “he will silence you in his love”
  7. Zephaniah 3:19 Or “make”
  8. Zephaniah 3:19 Literally “a name”
  9. Zephaniah 3:20 Literally “a name”

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.

Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.

10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

严责耶路撒冷之人诸罪

这悖逆、污秽、欺压的城有祸了! 她不听从命令,不领受训诲,不倚靠耶和华,不亲近她的神。 她中间的首领是咆哮的狮子,她的审判官是晚上的豺狼,一点食物也不留到早晨。 她的先知是虚浮诡诈的人,她的祭司亵渎圣所,强解律法。 耶和华在她中间是公义的,断不做非义的事,每早晨显明他的公义,无日不然,只是不义的人不知羞耻。 “我耶和华已经除灭列国的民,他们的城楼毁坏。我使他们的街道荒凉,以致无人经过。他们的城邑毁灭,以致无人,也无居民。 我说‘你只要敬畏我,领受训诲。如此,你的住处不致照我所拟定的除灭’,只是你们从早起来,就在一切事上败坏自己。”

劝俟以色列复兴

耶和华说:“你们要等候我,直到我兴起掳掠的日子。因为我已定意招聚列国,聚集列邦,将我的恼怒,就是我的烈怒,都倾在他们身上。我的愤怒如火,必烧灭全地。

“那时,我必使万民用清洁的言语,好求告我耶和华的名,同心合意地侍奉我。 10 祈祷我的,就是我所分散的民[a],必从古实河外来,给我献供物。 11 当那日,你必不因你一切得罪我的事自觉羞愧。因为那时我必从你中间除掉矜夸高傲之辈,你也不再于我的圣山狂傲。 12 我却要在你中间留下困苦贫寒的民,他们必投靠我耶和华的名。 13 以色列所剩下的人必不做罪孽,不说谎言,口中也没有诡诈的舌头,而且吃喝躺卧,无人惊吓。”

宜歌颂主恩

14 锡安的民哪,应当歌唱!以色列啊,应当欢呼!耶路撒冷的民哪,应当满心欢喜快乐! 15 耶和华已经除去你的刑罚,赶出你的仇敌。以色列的王耶和华在你中间,你必不再惧怕灾祸。 16 当那日,必有话向耶路撒冷说:“不要惧怕!锡安哪,不要手软! 17 耶和华你的神是施行拯救、大有能力的主,他在你中间必因你欢欣喜乐,默然爱你,且因你喜乐而欢呼。 18 那些属你,为无大会愁烦,因你担当羞辱的,我必聚集他们。 19 那时,我必罚办一切苦待你的人,又拯救你瘸腿的,聚集你被赶出的。那些在全地受羞辱的,我必使他们得称赞,有名声。 20 那时,我必领你们进来,聚集你们。我使你们被掳之人归回的时候,就必使你们在地上的万民中有名声,得称赞。”这是耶和华说的。

Footnotes

  1. 西番雅书 3:10 原文作:女子。下同。