17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

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17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty;
he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

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17 Yahweh your God is among you,
a warrior(A) who saves.
He will rejoice over you(B) with gladness.
He will bring you quietness[a] with His love.
He will delight in you with shouts of joy.”(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:17 LXX, Syr read He will renew you

17 Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will [a]rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:17 Hebrew be silent.

17 Jehovah thy God [is] in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'

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Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.

Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.

10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted,
to the oppressing city!
She obeyed not the voice;
she received not correction;
she trusted not in the Lord;
she drew not near to her God.
Her princes within her are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves;
they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
Her prophets are light and treacherous persons:
her priests have polluted the sanctuary,
they have done violence to the law.
The just Lord is in the midst thereof;
he will not do iniquity:
every morning doth he bring his judgment to light,
he faileth not;
but the unjust knoweth no shame.

I have cut off the nations:
their towers are desolate;
I made their streets waste, that none passeth by:
their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man,
that there is none inhabitant.
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me,
thou wilt receive instruction;
so their dwelling should not be cut off,
howsoever I punished them:
but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord,
until the day that I rise up to the prey:
for my determination is to gather the nations,
that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation,
even all my fierce anger:
for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
For then will I turn to the people a pure language,
that they may all call upon the name of the Lord,
to serve him with one consent.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants,
even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings,
wherein thou hast transgressed against me:
for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride,
and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.
12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people,
and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies;
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth:
for they shall feed and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel;
be glad and rejoice with all the heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments,
he hath cast out thine enemy:
the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee:
thou shalt not see evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not:
and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty;
he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee,
to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee:
and I will save her that halteth,
and gather her that was driven out;
and I will get them praise and fame
in every land where they have been put to shame.
20 At that time will I bring you again,
even in the time that I gather you:
for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth,
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes,
saith the Lord.

Woe to Oppressive Jerusalem

Woe to the city that is rebellious[a](A) and defiled,(B)
the oppressive city!
She has not obeyed;(C)
she has not accepted discipline.(D)
She has not trusted(E) in Yahweh;
she has not drawn near to her God.
The[b] princes within her are roaring lions;(F)
her judges are wolves of the night,(G)
which leave nothing for[c] the morning.
Her prophets are reckless(H)
treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to instruction.(I)
The righteous Lord is in her;(J)
He does no wrong.(K)
He applies His justice morning by morning;
He does not fail at dawn,
yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.(L)

I have cut off nations;
their corner towers(M) are destroyed.
I have laid waste their streets,
with no one to pass through.
Their cities lie devastated,
without a person, without an inhabitant.(N)
I thought: You will certainly fear Me
and accept correction.
Then her dwelling place[d]
would not be cut off
based on all that I had allocated to her.
However, they became more corrupt
in all their actions.
Therefore, wait for Me(O)
this is the Lord’s declaration—
until the day I rise up for plunder.[e]
For My decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour out My indignation(P) on them,
all My burning anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.(Q)

Final Restoration Promised

For I will then restore
pure(R) speech to the peoples
so that all of them may call
on the name of Yahweh
and serve Him with a single purpose.[f]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush(S)
My supplicants, My dispersed people,
will bring an offering to Me.
11 On that day you[g] will not be put to shame(T)
because of everything you have done
in rebelling(U) against Me.
For then I will remove
your proud,(V) arrogant people from among you,
and you will never again be haughty
on My holy mountain.(W)
12 I will leave
a meek and humble people(X) among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.
13 The remnant(Y) of Israel will no longer
do wrong or tell lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found
in their mouths.
But they will pasture and lie down,
with nothing to make them afraid.(Z)

14 Sing for joy, Daughter Zion;
shout loudly, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has removed your punishment;
He has turned back your enemy.
The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you;
you need no longer fear harm.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, do not let your hands grow weak.(AA)
17 Yahweh your God is among you,
a warrior(AB) who saves.
He will rejoice over you(AC) with gladness.
He will bring you quietness[h] with His love.
He will delight in you with shouts of joy.”(AD)

18 I will gather those who have been driven(AE)
from the appointed festivals;
they will be a tribute from you[i]
and a reproach on her.[j]
19 Yes, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you.
I will save the lame(AF) and gather the scattered;(AG)
I will make those who were disgraced
throughout the earth
receive praise and fame.
20 At that time I will bring you[k] back,
yes, at the time I will gather you.
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes(AH) before your eyes.
Yahweh has spoken.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:1 Or filthy
  2. Zephaniah 3:3 Lit Her
  3. Zephaniah 3:3 Or that had nothing to gnaw in
  4. Zephaniah 3:7 LXX, Syr read her eyes
  5. Zephaniah 3:8 LXX, Syr read for a witness; Vg reads up forever
  6. Zephaniah 3:9 Lit with one shoulder
  7. Zephaniah 3:11 = Israel
  8. Zephaniah 3:17 LXX, Syr read He will renew you
  9. Zephaniah 3:18 = Jerusalem
  10. Zephaniah 3:18 Hb obscure
  11. Zephaniah 3:20 = people of Israel

Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not [a]correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God. Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they [b]leave nothing till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; [c]every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. I have cut off nations; their [d]battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant. I said, Only fear thou me; receive [e]correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, [f]according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.

Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my [g]determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure [h]language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one [i]consent. 10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia [j]my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. 11 In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee [k]thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah. 13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 15 Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not [l]fear evil any more. 16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; [m]O Zion, let not thy hands be slack. 17 Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will [n]rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing. 18 [o]I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon [p]her was a reproach. 19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth. 20 At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I [q]bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:2 Or, instruction
  2. Zephaniah 3:3 Or, gnaw not the bones on the morrow
  3. Zephaniah 3:5 Hebrew morning by morning.
  4. Zephaniah 3:6 Or, corner towers
  5. Zephaniah 3:7 Or, instruction
  6. Zephaniah 3:7 Or, howsoever I have punished her
  7. Zephaniah 3:8 Hebrew judgment.
  8. Zephaniah 3:9 Hebrew lip.
  9. Zephaniah 3:9 Hebrew shoulder.
  10. Zephaniah 3:10 Or, shall they bring my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, for an offering unto me
  11. Zephaniah 3:11 Or, them that exult in thy majesty
  12. Zephaniah 3:15 Another reading is, see.
  13. Zephaniah 3:16 Or, and to Zion
  14. Zephaniah 3:17 Hebrew be silent.
  15. Zephaniah 3:18 Or, They have been sorrowful for the solemn assembly which I took away from thee, for the lifting up of reproach against her
  16. Zephaniah 3:18 According to another reading, thee.
  17. Zephaniah 3:20 Or, return to

Wo [to] the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city!

She hath not hearkened to the voice, She hath not accepted instruction, In Jehovah she hath not trusted, Unto her God she hath not drawn near.

Her heads in her midst [are] roaring lions, Her judges [are] evening wolves, They have not gnawn the bone in the morning.

Her prophets unstable -- men of treachery, Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have violated the law.

Jehovah [is] righteous in her midst, He doth not do perverseness, Morning by morning His judgment he giveth to the light, It hath not been lacking, And the perverse doth not know shame.

I have cut off nations, Desolated have been their chief ones, I have laid waste their out-places without any passing by, Destroyed have been their cities, Without man, without inhabitant.

I have said: Only, ye do fear Me, Ye do accept instruction, And her habitation is not cut off, All that I have appointed for her, But they have risen early, They have corrupted all their doings.

Therefore, wait for Me -- an affirmation of Jehovah, For the day of My rising for prey, For My judgment [is] to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them Mine indignation, All the heat of Mine anger, For by the fire of My jealousy consumed is all the earth.

For then do I turn unto peoples a pure lip, To call all of them by the name of Jehovah, To serve Him [with] one shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush, my supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Do bring My present.

11 In that day thou art not ashamed because of any of thine actions, Wherewith thou hast transgressed against Me, For then do I turn aside from thy midst The exulting ones of thine excellency, And thou dost add no more to be haughty, In My holy mountain.

12 And I have left in thy midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the name of Jehovah.

13 The remnant of Israel do no perversity, nor speak lies, Nor found in their mouth is a deceitful tongue, For they have delight, and have lain down, And there is none troubling.

14 Cry aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, Rejoice and exult with the whole heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

15 Jehovah hath turned aside thy judgments, He hath faced thine enemy, The king of Israel, Jehovah, [is] in thy midst, Thou seest evil no more.

16 In that day it is said to Jerusalem, `Fear not, O Zion, let not thy hands be feeble.

17 Jehovah thy God [is] in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'

18 Mine afflicted from the appointed place I have gathered, from thee they have been, Bearing for her sake reproach.

19 Lo, I am dealing with all afflicting thee at that time, And I have saved the halting one, And the driven out ones I do gather, And have set them for a praise and for a name, In all the land of their shame.

20 At that time I bring you in, Even at the time of My assembling you, For I give you for a name, and for a praise, Among all peoples of the land, In My turning back [to] your captivity before your eyes, said Jehovah!