Zephaniah 3
Living Bible
3 Woe to filthy, sinful Jerusalem, city of violence and crime. 2 In her pride she won’t listen even to the voice of God. No one can tell her anything; she refuses all correction. She does not trust the Lord nor seek for God.
3 Her leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims—out for everything that they can get. Her judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
4 Her “prophets” are liars seeking their own gain; her priests defile the Temple by their disobedience to God’s laws.
5 But the Lord is there within the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day his justice is more evident, but no one heeds—the wicked know no shame.
6 “I have cut off many nations, laying them waste to their farthest borders; I have left their streets in silent ruin and their cities deserted without a single survivor to remember what happened. 7 I thought, ‘Surely they will listen to me now—surely they will heed my warnings, so that I’ll not need to strike again.’ But no; however much I punish them, they continue all their evil ways from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn.” 8 But the Lord says, “Be patient; the time is coming soon when I will stand up and accuse these evil nations. For it is my decision to gather together the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my fiercest anger and wrath upon them. All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 “At that time I will change the speech of my returning people to pure Hebrew[a] so that all can worship the Lord together. 10 My scattered people who live in the Sudan,[b] beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, will come with their offerings, asking me to be their God again. 11 And then you will no longer need to be ashamed of yourselves, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all your proud and arrogant people from among you; there will be no pride or haughtiness on my holy mountain. 12 Those who are left will be the poor and the humble, and they will trust in the name of the Lord. 13 They will not be sinners, full of lies and deceit. They will live quietly, in peace, and lie down in safety, and no one will make them afraid.”
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 15 For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over—you need fear no more.
16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, don’t be afraid. 17-18 For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you with great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you.” Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.
“I have gathered your wounded and taken away your reproach. 19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones, and bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory to my former exiles, mocked and shamed.
20 “At that time, I will gather you together and bring you home again, and give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the peoples of the earth, and they will praise you when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:9 I will change the speech of my returning people to pure Hebrew, literally, “I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech.” See Isaiah 19:18.
- Zephaniah 3:10 in the Sudan, implied.
西番雅书 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
耶路撒冷的败坏
3 这叛逆、污秽、充满压迫的城有祸了！
2 她不听命令，不受管教；
不倚靠耶和华，
不亲近她的上帝。
3 她的首领是咆哮的狮子，
她的审判官是夜间的豺狼，
不留一点猎物到天明。
4 她的先知是狂妄诡诈之徒，
她的祭司亵渎圣殿，违背律法。
5 但城中的耶和华是公义的，
祂绝不做不义之事。
祂每天早晨伸张正义，从不间断。
然而，不义之人却不知羞耻。
6 “我已消灭列国，
摧毁他们的城楼，
使他们的街道荒废，没有路人；
他们的城邑沦为废墟，杳无人迹，没有居民。
7 我以为这城一定会敬畏我，接受管教，
这样我就不必照所定的毁灭她。
然而，他们却更加热衷于犯罪作恶。
8 “因此，等着我吧，
等着我指控的那一天吧。
我已决定召集列国列邦，
向他们倾倒我的烈怒，
我的怒火必吞噬天下。
这是耶和华说的。
耶和华的拯救
9 “那时，我必洁净万民的口，
以便他们可以求告我的名，
同心合意地事奉我。
10 那些敬拜我的，
就是我那些分散的子民必从古实河对岸带着供物来献给我。
11 到那天，你必不再因背叛我而感到羞愧，
因为那时我必除掉你那里狂妄自大的人，
你在我的圣山上必不再高傲。
12 我必把谦卑贫苦的人留在你那里，
他们必投靠在我耶和华的名下。
13 以色列的余民必不再作恶，
撒谎或出诡诈之言。
他们吃喝躺卧，无人惊扰。”
欢乐之歌
14 锡安城[a]啊，歌唱吧！
以色列啊，欢呼吧！
耶路撒冷城啊，尽情地欢喜快乐吧！
15 耶和华已经撤销对你的刑罚，
赶走你的仇敌，
以色列的王耶和华与你同在，
你必不再惧怕灾祸。
16 到那天，耶路撒冷必听到这样的话：
“锡安啊，不要害怕！不要双手发软！
17 你的上帝耶和华与你同在，
祂是大能的拯救者，
祂必因你而欢喜快乐，欢然歌唱，
用祂的爱安慰你。”
18 “我必招聚你那里因不能守节期而忧愁的人，
使你不再蒙受羞辱。
19 看啊，那时我必惩罚所有欺压你的人，
拯救瘸腿的，召回分散的，
使他们的羞辱化为尊荣，声名远播。
20 那时，我必招聚你们，带你们回到故土。
你们回到故土后，
我必使你们在天下万民中声名远播，得到尊荣。”
这是耶和华说的。
Footnotes
- 3:14 “城”希伯来文是“女子”，可能是对锡安的昵称。
Zephaniah 3
King James Version
3 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 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.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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