Zephaniah 3
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
3 Ah, soiled, defiled,
oppressing city!
2 It has listened to no voice;
it has accepted no correction.
It has not trusted in the Lord;
it has not drawn near to its God.
3 The officials within it
are roaring lions;
its judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing until the morning.
4 Its prophets are reckless,
faithless persons;
its priests have profaned what is sacred,
they have done violence to the law.
5 The Lord within it is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Every morning he renders his judgement,
each dawn without fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.
6 I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without people, without inhabitants.
7 I said, ‘Surely the city[a] will fear me,
it will accept correction;
it will not lose sight[b]
of all that I have brought upon it.’
But they were the more eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
Punishment and Conversion of the Nations
8 Therefore wait for me, says the Lord,
for the day when I arise as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all the heat of my anger;
for in the fire of my passion
all the earth shall be consumed.
9 At that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia[c]
my suppliants, my scattered ones,
shall bring my offering.
11 On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
12 For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord—
13 the remnant of Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
Then they will pasture and lie down,
and no one shall make them afraid.
A Song of Joy
14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you[d] in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18 as on a day of festival.[e]
I will remove disaster from you,[f]
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19 I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:7 Heb it
- Zephaniah 3:7 Gk Syr: Heb its dwelling will not be cut off
- Zephaniah 3:10 Or Nubia; Heb Cush
- Zephaniah 3:17 Gk Syr: Heb he will be silent
- Zephaniah 3:18 Gk Syr: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Zephaniah 3:18 Cn: Heb I will remove from you; they were
Zephaniah 3
Contemporary English Version
Sinful Jerusalem
3 Too bad for that disgusting,
corrupt, and lawless city!
2 Forever rebellious
and rejecting correction,
Jerusalem refuses to trust
or obey the Lord God.
3 Its officials are roaring lions,
its judges are wolves;
in the evening they attack,
by morning nothing is left.
4 Jerusalem's prophets are proud
and not to be trusted.
The priests have disgraced
the place of worship
and abused God's Law.
5 All who do evil are shameless,
but the Lord does right
and is always fair.
With the dawn of each day,
God brings about justice.
6 The Lord wiped out nations
and left fortresses
crumbling in the dirt.
Their streets and towns
were reduced to ruins
and emptied of people.
7 God 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
8 The 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.
9 I will purify each language
and make those languages
acceptable for praising me.[a]
Then, with hearts united,
everyone will serve
only me, the Lord.
10 From across the rivers
of Ethiopia,[b]
my scattered people,
my true worshipers,
will bring offerings to me.
11 When that time comes,
you won't rebel against me
and be put to shame.
I'll do away with those
who are proud and arrogant.
Never will any of them
strut around
on my holy mountain.
12 But I, the Lord, won't destroy
any of your people
who are truly humble
and turn to me for safety.
13 (A) The people of Israel who survive
will live right
and refuse to tell lies.
They will eat and rest
with nothing to fear.
A Song of Celebration
14 Everyone in Jerusalem and Judah,
celebrate and shout
with all your heart!
15 Zion, your punishment is over.
The Lord has forced your enemies
to turn and retreat.
Your Lord is King of Israel
and stands at your side;
you don't have to worry
about any more troubles.
16 Jerusalem, the time is coming,
when it will be said to you:
“Don't be discouraged
or grow weak from fear!
17 The Lord your God
wins victory after victory
and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings
because of you,
and he will refresh your life
with his love.”[c]
The Lord's Promise to His People
18 The Lord has promised:
Your sorrow has ended,
and you can celebrate.[d]
19 I will punish those
who mistreat you.
I will bring together the lame
and the outcasts,
then they will be praised,
instead of despised,
in every country on earth.
20 I will lead you home,
and with your own eyes
you will see me bless you
with all you once owned.
Then you will be famous
everywhere on this earth.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Footnotes
- 3.9 I will … praising me: Or “I will change the hearts of all people and make them fit for praising me.”
- 3.10 Ethiopia: See the note at 2.12.
- 3.17 refresh … love: Two ancient translations; Hebrew “silently show you his love.”
- 3.18 celebrate: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
