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The Wickedness of Jerusalem

Woe, soiled, defiled,
    oppressing city!(A)
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.(B)

The officials within it
    are roaring lions;
its judges are evening wolves
    that leave nothing until the morning.(C)
Its prophets are reckless,
    faithless persons;
its priests have profaned what is sacred;
    they have done violence to the law.(D)
The Lord within it is righteous;
    he does no wrong.
Every morning he renders his judgment,
    each dawn without fail,
    but the unjust knows no shame.(E)

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.(F)
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.(G)

Punishment and Conversion of the Nations

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.(H)

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.(I)
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my suppliants, my scattered ones,
    shall bring my offering.(J)

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.(K)
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(L)
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.(M)

A Song of Joy

14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter Jerusalem!(N)
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
    he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
    you shall fear disaster no more.(O)
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
    do not let your hands grow weak.(P)
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[c] in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing(Q)
18     as on a day of festival.”[d]
I will remove disaster from you,[e]
    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.(R)
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.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 3.7 Heb it
  2. 3.7 Gk Syr: Heb its dwelling will not be cut off
  3. 3.17 Gk Syr: Heb he will be silent
  4. 3.18 Gk Syr: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 3.18 Cn: Heb I will remove from you; they were

Judgment against Jerusalem

Doom, obstinate one,
        the defiled one,
        the violent city.
She listened to no voice;
        she accepted no discipline.
She didn’t trust in the Lord,
        nor did she draw near to her God.
The princes in her midst are roaring lions.
        Her judges are wolves of the evening;
        they leave nothing for the morning.
Her prophets are reckless, men of treachery.
        Her priests pollute that which is holy;
        they do violence to the Instruction.
The Lord is righteous in her midst.
He does nothing unjust.
        Morning by morning he renders justice,
        but the unrighteous one knows no shame.
I will cut off nations;
        their towers will be destroyed;
        I will devastate their streets.
            No one will pass through.
        Their cities will be laid waste.
            There will be no person, no inhabitant left.
I said, “Surely, she will fear me;
            she will take instruction
        so that her habitation won’t be cut off[a]
            because of everything I did to her.”
However, they rose early to corrupt their deeds.
Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord,
        wait for the day when I rise up as a witness,[b]
        when I decide to gather nations,
                to collect kingdoms,
            to pour out my indignation upon them,
                all the heat of my anger.
        In the fire of my jealousy,
            all the earth will be devoured.

Restoration of the nations and Jerusalem

Then I will change the speech of the peoples into pure speech,
        that all of them will call on the name of the Lord
        and will serve him as one.[c]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush,
        my daughter, my dispersed ones, will bring me offerings.
11 On that day, you won’t be ashamed of all your deeds
        with which you sinned against me;
            then I will remove from your midst those boasting with pride.
No longer will you be haughty on my holy mountain,
12     but I will cause a humble and powerless people to remain in your midst;
        they will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The few remaining from Israel won’t commit injustice;
        they won’t tell lies;
        a deceitful tongue won’t be found on their lips.
            They will graze and lie down;
                no one will make them afraid.
14 Rejoice, Daughter Zion! Shout, Israel!
        Rejoice and exult with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem.
15 The Lord has removed your judgment;
        he has turned away your enemy.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
        you will no longer fear evil.
16 On that day, it will be said to Jerusalem:
        Don’t fear, Zion.
        Don’t let your hands fall.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory.
        He will create calm with his love;
        he will rejoice over you with singing.

18         I will remove from you those worried about the appointed feasts.[d]
        They have been a burden for her, a reproach.
19 Watch what I am about to do to all your oppressors at that time.
        I will deliver the lame;
        I will gather the outcast.
        I will change their shame into praise and fame throughout the earth.
20 At that time, I will bring all of you back,
        at the time when I gather you.
        I will give you fame and praise among all the neighboring peoples
            when I restore your possessions and you can see them[e]—says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Heb uncertain
  2. Zephaniah 3:8 LXX; MT it
  3. Zephaniah 3:9 Or with one shoulder
  4. Zephaniah 3:18 Heb uncertain
  5. Zephaniah 3:20 Or before your eyes