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Zephaniah 3
Easy-to-Read Version
Zephaniah 3
Easy-to-Read Version
The Future of Jerusalem
3 Jerusalem, your people fought against God. They hurt other people, and you have been stained with sin. 2 They didn’t listen to me or accept my teachings. Jerusalem didn’t trust the Lord. Jerusalem didn’t go to her God. 3 Jerusalem’s leaders are like roaring lions. Her judges are like hungry wolves that come in the evening to attack the sheep—and in the morning nothing is left. 4 Her prophets are always making secret plans to get more and more. Her priests have treated holy things as if they were not holy. They have done bad things to God’s teachings. 5 But the Lord is still in that city, and he continues to be good. He does not do anything wrong. He continues to help his people. Morning after morning he makes good decisions for them. Not a day passes without his justice. He never gives a decision that is crooked or is something to be ashamed of.
6 The Lord says, “I have destroyed whole nations and their defense towers. I destroyed their streets and now no one goes there anymore. Their cities are empty—no one lives there anymore. 7 I tell you this so that you will learn a lesson. I want you to fear and respect me. If you do this, your home will not be destroyed, and I will not have to punish you the way I planned.” But those evil people only wanted to do more of the same evil things they had already done!
8 The Lord said, “So just wait! Wait for me to stand and judge you. I have the right to bring people from many nations and use them to punish you. I will use them to show my anger against you. I will use them to show how upset I am—and the whole country will be destroyed. 9 Then I will change people from other nations so that they can speak the language clearly and call out the name of the Lord. They will all worship me together, shoulder to shoulder, as one people. 10 People will come all the way from the other side of the river in Ethiopia. My scattered people will come to me. My worshipers will come and bring their gifts to me.
11 “Then, Jerusalem, you will no longer be ashamed of the wrong things your people do against me. That is because I will remove all the bad people from Jerusalem. I will take away all the proud people. There will not be any of them on my holy mountain.[a] 12 I will let only meek and humble people stay in my city, and they will trust the Lord’s name. 13 The survivors of Israel will not do bad things or tell lies. They will not try to trick people with lies. They will be like sheep that eat and lie down in peace—and no one will bother them.”
A Happy Song
14 Jerusalem, sing and be happy!
Israel, shout for joy!
Jerusalem, be happy and have fun!
15 The Lord stopped your punishment.
He destroyed your enemies’ strong towers.
King of Israel, the Lord is with you.
You don’t need to worry about anything bad happening.
16 At that time Jerusalem will be told,
“Be strong, don’t be afraid!
17 The Lord your God is with you.
He is like a powerful soldier.
He will save you.
He will show how much he loves you
and how happy he is with you.
He will laugh and be happy about you,
18 like people at a party.
I will take away your shame.
I will make them stop hurting you.[b]
19 At that time I will punish those who hurt you.
I will save my hurt people
and bring back those who were forced to leave.
I will give them praise and honor everywhere,
even in places where they suffered shame.
20 At that time I will lead you back home.
I will bring your people back together.
I will cause people everywhere to honor and praise you.
You will see me bring back all the blessings you once had.”
This is what the Lord said.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:11 holy mountain Mount Zion, one of the mountains Jerusalem was built on.
- Zephaniah 3:18 The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
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
Sefanja 3
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
Sefanja 3
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
Jerusalems synder
3 Ve över den upproriska
och orena staden,
förtryckets stad!
2 (A) Hon lyssnar inte till någon,
hon tar inte emot tillrättavisning,
litar inte på Herren
och närmar sig inte sin Gud.
3 (B) Hennes styresmän därinne
är rytande lejon,
hennes domare är stäppvargar[a]
som inget spar till morgonen.
4 (C) Hennes profeter är skrävlare,
trolösa män.
Hennes präster vanhelgar
det som är heligt
och gör våld på lagen.
5 (D) Herren är rättfärdig därinne,
han gör inget orätt.
Morgon efter morgon
uppenbarar han sin dom,
den uteblir aldrig.
Men den orättfärdige
vet inte av någon skam.
6 Jag utrotade hednafolk,
deras murtorn förstördes.
Jag lade deras gator öde,
ingen gick där längre.
Deras städer skövlades,
tömda på folk och invånare.
7 Jag sade: ”Du ska frukta mig
och ta emot tuktan.”
Då skulle hennes boning
inte utplånas eller drabbas
av allt som jag bestämt
som straff.
Men i stället var de ivriga
att[b] göra sina fördärvliga
gärningar.
8 (E) Vänta därför på mig, säger Herren,
på dagen då jag reser mig
för att ta byte[c],
för detta är mitt domslut:
Jag ska samla folk
och hämta riken
för att ösa min vrede över dem,
hela min glödande harm,
för hela jorden ska förtäras
av min lidelses eld.
Frälsning för en rest av Israel
9 (F) Då ska jag ge folken renade läppar,
och de ska alla
åkalla Herrens namn
och tjäna honom tillsammans[d].
10 (G) Från landet bortom Nubiens floder[e]
ska mina tillbedjare,
mitt förskingrade folk,
frambära offer åt mig.
11 (H) På den dagen
ska du inte behöva skämmas
för alla överträdelser
du begått mot mig,
för då ska jag rensa bort ur dig
dem som stoltserar
i högmod hos dig,
och du ska inte längre
förhäva dig på mitt heliga berg.
12 (I) Men jag ska lämna kvar i dig
ett folk som är ödmjukt och svagt
och har sin tillflykt
i Herrens namn.
13 (J) De som är kvar av Israel
ska inte göra orätt eller tala lögn,
och ingen falsk tunga
ska finnas i deras mun.
De ska få beta och lägga sig ner
utan att någon skrämmer dem.
14 (K) Jubla, dotter Sion,
ropa av glädje, Israel!
Var glad och fröjda dig
av hela ditt hjärta,
dotter Jerusalem!
15 (L) Herren har tagit bort
straffdomarna från dig
och röjt bort din fiende.
Herren, Israels Kung, bor i dig.
Du ska aldrig mer
frukta något ont.
16 På den dagen ska det sägas
till Jerusalem:
”Var inte rädd, Sion,
låt inte dina händer sjunka!
17 (M) Herren din Gud bor i dig,
en hjälte som frälser.
Han gläder sig över dig med lust,
han tiger stilla[f] i sin kärlek,
han fröjdas över dig med jubel.”
18 (N) Jag ska samla dem
som sörjer över högtiderna[g],
dem som varit skilda från dig
och nu bär föraktets börda.
19 (O) Se, på den tiden ska jag
ta itu med alla som plågat dig.
Jag ska frälsa de haltande
och samla de fördrivna.
Jag ska göra dem
till lovsång och berömmelse
över hela jorden
där de varit så hånade.
20 På den tiden ska jag föra er hem,
då ska jag samla er,
för jag ska göra er
till berömmelse och lovsång
bland jordens alla folk
när jag gör slut på er fångenskap
inför era ögon, säger Herren.
Footnotes
- 3:3 stäppvargar Annan översättning: ”kvällens vargar”.
- 3:7 var de ivriga att Annan översättning: ”steg de upp tidigt för att”.
- 3:8 ta byte Annan översättning (så Septuaginta): ”vittna”.
- 3:9 tillsammans Ordagrant: ”med en enda axel”.
- 3:10 landet bortom Nubiens floder Afrika bortom Nilen, den då kända världens bortre gräns.
- 3:17 tiger stilla Andra handskrifter (Septuaginta): ”förnyar (dig)”.
- 3:18 sörjer över högtiderna Att Herrens högtider (3 Mos 23, 5 Mos 16) inte kunde firas efter templets fall och folkets fördrivning (jfr Klag 1:4).
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
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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Svenska Folkbibeln 2015 (SFB15)
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.