The Lord is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
[a]Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But (A)the unjust knows no shame.

“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.
(B)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 [b]they rose early and (C)corrupted all their deeds.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:5 Lit. Morning by morning
  2. Zephaniah 3:7 They were eager

The Lord within her is righteous;(A)
    he does no wrong.(B)
Morning by morning(C) he dispenses his justice,
    and every new day he does not fail,(D)
    yet the unrighteous know no shame.(E)

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;(F)
    they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’(G)
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(H) in all they did.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
  2. Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over