Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
    (A)the oppressing city!
She listens to no voice;
    (B)she accepts no correction.
(C)She does not trust in the Lord;
    she does not draw near to her God.

(D)Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;
her judges are (E)evening wolves
    that leave nothing till the morning.
(F)Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
(G)her priests (H)profane what is holy;
    they do violence to the law.
The Lord within her (I)is righteous;
    he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
    each dawn he does not fail;
    but (J)the unjust knows no shame.

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

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

The Conversion of the Nations

“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
    to (S)a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
    and serve him with one accord.
10 (T)From beyond the rivers (U)of Cush
    my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
    shall bring my offering.

11 (V)“On that day (W)you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then (X)I will remove from your midst
    your proudly exultant ones,
and (Y)you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst
    a people (Z)humble and lowly.
(AA)They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13     (AB)those who are left in Israel;
they (AC)shall do no injustice
    and speak no lies,
(AD)nor shall there be found in their mouth
    a deceitful tongue.
(AE)For they shall graze and lie down,
    and none shall make them afraid.”

Israel's Joy and Restoration

14 (AF)Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
    he has cleared away your enemies.
(AG)The King of Israel, (AH)the Lord, is in your midst;
    you shall never again fear evil.
16 (AI)On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
    (AJ)let not your hands grow weak.
17 (AK)The Lord your God is in your midst,
    (AL)a mighty one who will save;
(AM)he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn (AN)for the festival,
    so that you will no longer suffer reproach.[c]
19 Behold, at that time (AO)I will deal
    with all your oppressors.
And (AP)I will save the lame
    and gather the outcast,
and I will change (AQ)their shame into (AR)praise
    and renown in all the earth.
20 (AS)At that time I will bring you in,
    at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
    among all the peoples of the earth,
(AT)when I restore your fortunes
    before your eyes,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
  2. Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
  3. Zephaniah 3:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Jerusalem

Woe to the city of oppressors,(A)
    rebellious(B) and defiled!(C)
She obeys(D) no one,
    she accepts no correction.(E)
She does not trust(F) in the Lord,
    she does not draw near(G) to her God.
Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;(H)
her rulers are evening wolves,(I)
    who leave nothing for the morning.(J)
Her prophets are unprincipled;
    they are treacherous people.(K)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
    and do violence to the law.(L)
The Lord within her is righteous;(M)
    he does no wrong.(N)
Morning by morning(O) he dispenses his justice,
    and every new day he does not fail,(P)
    yet the unrighteous know no shame.(Q)

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;(R)
    they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’(S)
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(T) in all they did.
Therefore wait(U) for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.[c]
I have decided to assemble(V) the nations,(W)
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(X) on them—
    all my fierce anger.(Y)
The whole world will be consumed(Z)
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

Restoration of Israel’s Remnant

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
    that all of them may call(AA) on the name of the Lord(AB)
    and serve(AC) him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush[d](AD)
    my worshipers, my scattered people,
    will bring me offerings.(AE)
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame(AF)
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,(AG)
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.(AH)
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.(AI)
12 But I will leave within you
    the meek(AJ) and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust(AK) in the name of the Lord.
13 They(AL) will do no wrong;(AM)
    they will tell no lies.(AN)
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.(AO)
They will eat and lie down(AP)
    and no one will make them afraid.(AQ)

14 Sing, Daughter Zion;(AR)
    shout aloud,(AS) Israel!
Be glad and rejoice(AT) with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;(AU)
    never again will you fear(AV) any harm.(AW)
16 On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.(AX)
17 The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.(AY)
He will take great delight(AZ) in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,(BA)
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”(BB)

18 “I will remove from you
    all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
    which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
    with all who oppressed(BC) you.
I will rescue the lame;
    I will gather the exiles.(BD)
I will give them praise(BE) and honor
    in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
    at that time I will bring(BF) you home.
I will give you honor(BG) and praise(BH)
    among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[e](BI)
    before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

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
  4. Zephaniah 3:10 That is, the upper Nile region
  5. Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with (A)a rainbow over his head, and (B)his face was like the sun, and (C)his legs like pillars of fire. (D)He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, (E)like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, (F)“Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land (G)raised his right hand to heaven and swore by (H)him who lives forever and ever, (I)who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that (J)in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, (K)just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, (L)“Take and (M)eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, (N)“You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given (O)a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure (P)the court outside the temple; leave that out, for (Q)it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for (R)forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for (S)1,260 days, (T)clothed in sackcloth.”

These are (U)the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, (V)fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, (W)this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power (X)to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and (Y)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, (Z)the beast that rises from (AA)the bottomless pit[a] (AB)will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically[b] is called (AC)Sodom and (AD)Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and (AE)refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and (AF)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and (AG)exchange presents, because these two prophets (AH)had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days (AI)a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, (AJ)“Come up here!” And (AK)they went up to heaven (AL)in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was (AM)a great earthquake, and (AN)a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and (AO)gave glory to (AP)the God of heaven.

14 (AQ)The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then (AR)the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and (AS)there were loud voices in heaven, saying, (AT)“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of (AU)his Christ, and (AV)he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders (AW)who sit on their thrones before God (AX)fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    (AY)who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
    and (AZ)begun to reign.
18 The nations raged,
    but (BA)your wrath came,
    and (BB)the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
    and (BC)those who fear your name,
    both small and great,
and (BD)for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

19 Then (BE)God's temple in heaven was opened, and (BF)the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,[c] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and (BG)heavy hail.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 11:7 Or the abyss
  2. Revelation 11:8 Greek spiritually
  3. Revelation 11:19 Or voices, or sounds

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel(A) coming down from heaven.(B) He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow(C) above his head; his face was like the sun,(D) and his legs were like fiery pillars.(E) He was holding a little scroll,(F) which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,(G) and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.(H) When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders(I) spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write;(J) but I heard a voice from heaven(K) say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”(L)

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land(M) raised his right hand to heaven.(N) And he swore(O) by him who lives for ever and ever,(P) who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,(Q) and said, “There will be no more delay!(R) But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,(S) the mystery(T) of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”(U)

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven(V) spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll(W) that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a](X) 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,(Y) but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy(Z) again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”(AA)

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod(AB) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court;(AC) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.(AD) They will trample on the holy city(AE) for 42 months.(AF) And I will appoint my two witnesses,(AG) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,(AH) clothed in sackcloth.”(AI) They are “the two olive trees”(AJ) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”[b](AK) If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.(AL) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.(AM) They have power to shut up the heavens(AN) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;(AO) and they have power to turn the waters into blood(AP) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast(AQ) that comes up from the Abyss(AR) will attack them,(AS) and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city(AT)—which is figuratively called Sodom(AU) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.(AV) For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation(AW) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.(AX) 10 The inhabitants of the earth(AY) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,(AZ) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

11 But after the three and a half days(BA) the breath[c] of life from God entered them,(BB) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”(BC) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,(BD) while their enemies looked on.

13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake(BE) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory(BF) to the God of heaven.(BG)

14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.(BH)

The Seventh Trumpet

15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,(BI) and there were loud voices(BJ) in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,(BK)
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”(BL)

16 And the twenty-four elders,(BM) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces(BN) and worshiped God, 17 saying:

“We give thanks(BO) to you, Lord God Almighty,(BP)
    the One who is and who was,(BQ)
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.(BR)
18 The nations were angry,(BS)
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,(BT)
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets(BU)
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small(BV)
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

19 Then God’s temple(BW) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.(BX) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,(BY) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.(BZ)

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 10:9 Ezek. 3:3
  2. Revelation 11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14.
  3. Revelation 11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14)

Great Is the Lord

[a] A Song of Praise. Of David.

145 (A)I will extol you, my God and (B)King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
    (C)and praise your name forever and ever.
(D)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his (E)greatness is unsearchable.

(F)One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On (G)the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of (H)the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your (I)abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is (J)gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is (K)good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

Psalm 145[a]

A psalm of praise. Of David.

I will exalt you,(A) my God the King;(B)
    I will praise your name(C) for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise(D) you
    and extol your name(E) for ever and ever.

Great(F) is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(G)
    his greatness no one can fathom.(H)
One generation(I) commends your works to another;
    they tell(J) of your mighty acts.(K)
They speak of the glorious splendor(L) of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b](M)
They tell(N) of the power of your awesome works—(O)
    and I will proclaim(P) your great deeds.(Q)
They celebrate your abundant goodness(R)
    and joyfully sing(S) of your righteousness.(T)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,(U)
    slow to anger and rich in love.(V)

The Lord is good(W) to all;
    he has compassion(X) on all he has made.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 145:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate

lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
    and (A)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to the one who (B)is perishing,
    and wine to (C)those in bitter distress;[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul

lest they drink(A) and forget what has been decreed,(B)
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine(C) for those who are in anguish!

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