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Zephaniah 3
Wycliffe Bible
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.)
Zephaniah 3
New International Version
Zephaniah 3
New International Version
Jerusalem
3 Woe to the city of oppressors,(A)
rebellious(B) and defiled!(C)
2 She obeys(D) no one,
she accepts no correction.(E)
She does not trust(F) in the Lord,
she does not draw near(G) to her God.
3 Her officials within her
are roaring lions;(H)
her rulers are evening wolves,(I)
who leave nothing for the morning.(J)
4 Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.(K)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.(L)
5 The Lord within her is righteous;(M)
he does no wrong.(N)
Morning by morning(O) he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,(P)
yet the unrighteous know no shame.(Q)
Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant
6 “I have destroyed nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;(R)
they are deserted and empty.
7 Of Jerusalem I thought,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’(S)
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(T) in all they did.
8 Therefore wait(U) for me,”
declares the Lord,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.[c]
I have decided to assemble(V) the nations,(W)
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(X) on them—
all my fierce anger.(Y)
The whole world will be consumed(Z)
by the fire of my jealous anger.
Restoration of Israel’s Remnant
9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call(AA) on the name of the Lord(AB)
and serve(AC) him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush[d](AD)
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.(AE)
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame(AF)
for all the wrongs you have done to me,(AG)
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.(AH)
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.(AI)
12 But I will leave within you
the meek(AJ) and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust(AK) in the name of the Lord.
13 They(AL) will do no wrong;(AM)
they will tell no lies.(AN)
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.(AO)
They will eat and lie down(AP)
and no one will make them afraid.(AQ)”
14 Sing, Daughter Zion;(AR)
shout aloud,(AS) Israel!
Be glad and rejoice(AT) with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;(AU)
never again will you fear(AV) any harm.(AW)
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.(AX)
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.(AY)
He will take great delight(AZ) in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,(BA)
but will rejoice over you with singing.”(BB)
18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed(BC) you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.(BD)
I will give them praise(BE) and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring(BF) you home.
I will give you honor(BG) and praise(BH)
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[e](BI)
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
- Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over
- Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder
- Zephaniah 3:10 That is, the upper Nile region
- Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives
Zephaniah 3
King James Version
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.
Zephaniah 3
New King James Version
Zephaniah 3
New King James Version
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
3 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
2 She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the Lord,
She has not drawn near to her God.
3 (A)Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are (B)evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
4 Her (C)prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have [a]polluted the sanctuary,
They have done (D)violence to the law.
5 The Lord is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
[b]Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But (E)the unjust knows no shame.
6 “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.
7 (F)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 [c]they rose early and (G)corrupted all their deeds.
A Faithful Remnant(H)
8 “Therefore (I)wait for Me,” says the Lord,
“Until the day I rise up [d]for plunder;
My determination is to (J)gather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth (K)shall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.
9 “For then I will restore to the peoples (L)a pure [e]language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
10 (M)From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who (N)rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
12 I will leave in your midst
(O)A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
13 (P)The remnant of Israel (Q)shall do no unrighteousness
(R)And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For (S)they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
Joy in God’s Faithfulness
14 (T)Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
(U)The King of Israel, the Lord, (V)is in your midst;
You shall [f]see disaster no more.
16 In that day (W)it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, (X)let not your hands be weak.
17 The Lord your God (Y)in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
(Z)He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “I will gather those who (AA)sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
19 Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the (AB)lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time (AC)I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you [g]fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:4 Or profaned
- Zephaniah 3:5 Lit. Morning by morning
- Zephaniah 3:7 They were eager
- Zephaniah 3:8 LXX, Syr. for witness; Tg. for the day of My revelation for judgment; Vg. for the day of My resurrection that is to come
- Zephaniah 3:9 Lit. lip
- Zephaniah 3:15 So with Heb. mss., LXX, Bg.; MT, Vg. fear
- Zephaniah 3:20 Lit. a name
Zephaniah 3
English Standard Version
Zephaniah 3
English Standard Version
Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations
3 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
(A)the oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice;
(B)she accepts no correction.
(C)She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
3 (D)Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are (E)evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
4 (F)Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
(G)her priests (H)profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her (I)is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but (J)the unjust knows no shame.
6 (K)“I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
(L)so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 (M)I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
(N)you will accept correction.
Then your[a] dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.’[b]
But (O)all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 “Therefore (P)wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is (Q)to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
(R)all the earth shall be consumed.
The Conversion of the Nations
9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to (S)a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
10 (T)From beyond the rivers (U)of Cush
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
11 (V)“On that day (W)you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then (X)I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and (Y)you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst
a people (Z)humble and lowly.
(AA)They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13 (AB)those who are left in Israel;
they (AC)shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
(AD)nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
(AE)For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”
Israel's Joy and Restoration
14 (AF)Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
(AG)The King of Israel, (AH)the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 (AI)On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
(AJ)let not your hands grow weak.
17 (AK)The Lord your God is in your midst,
(AL)a mighty one who will save;
(AM)he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn (AN)for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.[c]
19 Behold, at that time (AO)I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And (AP)I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change (AQ)their shame into (AR)praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 (AS)At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
(AT)when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
- Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
- Zephaniah 3:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.