Zephaniah 3

Wycliffe Bible

3 Woe! thou city, stirrer to wrath, and bought again a culver. (Woe! O city, a stirrer to anger, filthy and defiled.)

² It heard not the voice of the Lord, and received not teaching, either chastising; it trusted not in the Lord, it nighed not to her God. (It did not listen to the voice of the Lord, and did not accept his discipline, or his correction; it did not trust in the Lord, it did not come near to its God.)

³ Princes thereof in middle thereof were as lions roaring; judges thereof were wolves, in the eventide they left not into morrow. (Its princes in its midst were like roaring lions; its judges were like wolves, and by the evening they had left nothing for the next morning.)

⁴ [The] Prophets thereof were wild, and unfaithful men; [the] priests thereof defouled holy thing, they did unjustly against the law. (Its prophets were wild, and unfaithful men; its priests defiled the holy things/its priests defiled the holy place, and they did unrighteously, or wickedly, against the Law.)

⁵ The Lord is just in the middle thereof, and shall not do wickedness; early, early he shall give his doom in light, and it shall not be hid; forsooth the wicked people knew not confusion. (But the Lord in its midst is just, or is righteous, and shall never do wickedness; morning after morning he bringeth forth his judgement, and it shall never be hid; but the wicked people there were still not ashamed.)

⁶ I lost folks, and the corners of them be destroyed; I made the ways of them desert, while there is not that shall pass. The cities of them be desolate, for a man is not left, neither any dweller. (The Lord saith, I have destroyed nations, and I have also destroyed their towers, or their fortresses; I have made their ways deserted, where there is no one who shall pass by. Their cities be desolate, for now no one is left there, not one inhabitant.)

⁷ I said, Nevertheless thou shalt dread me, thou shalt receive teaching; and the dwelling place thereof shall not perish, for all things in which I visited it; nevertheless full early they rising, have corrupted all their thoughts. (And I said, Now, my people, thou shalt fear me/thou shalt revere me, and thou shalt receive my discipline, or my correction; and thy dwelling place shall not perish, even after all the things which I did to it; but rising very early, they have continued to be corrupt in all their thoughts, and in all their doings.)

⁸ Wherefore abide thou me, saith the Lord, in the day of my rising again into coming. For my doom is, that I gather folks, and I shall gather realms; and I shall shed out on them mine indignation, and all the wrath of my strong vengeance; for in fire of my fervour all earth shall be devoured. (And so wait thou for me, saith the Lord, for the day to come of my rising again. For my judgement, or my justice, is, that I shall gather people, and I shall gather kingdoms; and then I shall pour out upon them my indignation, and all the anger of my strong vengeance; for in the fire of my fervour all the earth shall be devoured.)

⁹ For then I shall yield to peoples a chosen lip, that all call inwardly in the name of the Lord, and serve to him with one shoulder. (And then I shall give pure lips to the peoples, so that all of them can call upon the name of the Lord, and they shall serve him with one shoulder, or with one accord.)

¹⁰ Over the floods of Ethiopia, from thence my beseechers, the sons of my scattered men, shall bring gift to me. (Over the rivers of Ethiopia, from there my beseechers, the children of my scattered people, shall bring gifts to me.)

¹¹ In that day thou shalt not be confounded on all thy findings, in which thou trespassedest against me; for then I shall take away from the middle of thee great speakers of thy pride, and thou shalt no more put to, for to be enhanced in mine holy hill. (On that day thou shalt no longer be ashamed for all thy doings, in which thou hast trespassed against me; for then I shall take away from thy midst all those who proclaim, or who declare, thy great pride, and thou shalt no more exalt, or no more raise up, thyselves upon my holy hill/and thou shalt no more rebel against me upon my holy hill.)

¹² And I shall leave in the middle of thee a poor people and needy (And I shall leave in the midst of thee a poor and needy people); and they shall hope in the name of the Lord.

¹³ The remnants of Israel shall not do wickedness, neither shall speak leasing, and a guileful tongue shall not be found in the mouth of them; for they shall be fed, and shall rest, and there shall not be that shall make afeared. (The remnants of Israel shall not do wickedness, nor shall speak lies, and a deceitful tongue shall not be found in their mouths; for they shall be fed, and shall rest, and there shall not be anyone who shall make them afraid.)

¹⁴ These things saith the Lord, Daughter of Zion, praise thou heartily, sing thou, Israel; be thou glad, and make thou joy withoutforth in all thine heart, thou daughter of Jerusalem. (These things saith the Lord, Daughter of Zion, with a full heart praise thou, yea, sing thou, Israel; be thou happy, and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.)

¹⁵ The Lord hath taken away thy doom, [he] hath turned away thine enemies; the king of Israel, the Lord, is in the middle of thee, thou shalt no more dread evil. (The Lord hath stopped thy judgement, or thy punishment, he hath turned away thy enemies; the King of Israel, the Lord, is in thy midst, thou shalt no more fear any evil.)

¹⁶ In that day it shall be said, Jerusalem, do not thou dread; Zion, thine hands be not benumbed. (On that day it shall be said, Jerusalem, do not thou fear; Zion, let not thy hands be benumbed, or be made limp.)

¹⁷ Thy Lord God is strong in the middle of thee, he shall save [thee]; he shall make joy on thee in gladness, he shall be still in thy loving, he shall make joy withoutforth on thee in praising. (The Lord thy God is strong in thy midst, he shall save thee; he shall rejoice over thee with great happiness, he shall show you his love once again, he shall rejoice over thee with great praise, or with shouts of joy.)

¹⁸ I shall gather the fools, either vain men, that went away from the law, for they were of thee, that thou have no more shame on them. (I shall gather the fools, or the empty and useless people, who went away from the Law, for they were of thee, so that no more shalt thou have shame over them.)

¹⁹ Lo! I shall slay all men that tormented thee in that time, and I shall save him that halteth, and I shall gather her that was cast out; and I shall put them into praising, and into name in each land of confusion of them, (Lo! I shall kill all those who tormented thee at that time, and I shall save, or shall rescue, him who halteth, or who was lame, and I shall gather her back who was cast out; and I shall get them praise and a good, or a respected, name, in each land where they were put to shame,)

²⁰ in that time in which I shall bring you, and in the time in which I shall gather you. For I shall give you into name, and into praising to all peoples of earth, when I shall convert your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord. (at that time in which I shall bring you back, and at the time in which I shall gather you. For I shall get you a good name and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I shall restore your prosperity before your eyes, saith the Lord.)