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Zephaniah 3
New Catholic Bible
Zephaniah 3
New Catholic Bible
Woe to Jerusalem, the Rebel
Chapter 3
1 Woe to the city of tyrants,
rebellious and defiled.
2 It has not heeded any warning voice,
it has not accepted any correction.
It has not placed its trust in the Lord;
it has not drawn near to its God.
3 The officials within it
are roaring lions;
its judges are wolves of the wasteland
that leave nothing in reserve for the morning.
4 Its prophets are arrogant;
they are treacherous men.
Its priests have profaned what is holy
and done violence to the law.
5 The Lord within this city is just;
he does no wrong.
Morning after morning he renders judgment
unfailingly at dawn.
6 I have cut off nations;
their strongholds lie in ruins.
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks along them.
Their cities have been laid waste,
and now they are deserted,
without inhabitants.
7 I thought, “Surely you will now fear me
and be willing to accept correction.
You will not fail to realize
how I have inflicted punishments on you.”
However, they only seemed more eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord;
wait for the day when I stand up to accuse you.
For I am determined to gather nations
and assemble kingdoms
in order to pour forth my wrath upon them,
all the heat of my anger.
The entire earth will be consumed
by the fire of my jealousy.
Toward a Tomorrow of Exultance[a]
9 Then I will purify
the lips of my people,
so that all may call on
the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
my suppliants, my scattered ones,
will bring offerings to me.
11 On that day you will not be put to shame
as a result of all the deeds
by which you have rebelled against me.
For then I will remove from your midst
those who are proud and arrogant,
and then you will never again flaunt your pride
on my holy mountain.
12 For I will leave in your midst
those who are meek and humble;
they will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 This remnant of Israel will do no wrong
and utter no lies.
Nor will a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down,
and no one will cause them to be afraid.
14 Cry out with joy, daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel.
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter, Jerusalem.
15 The Lord has canceled the punishments against you;
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you need never again fear any harm.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior and a savior.
He will rejoice over you with gladness
and renew you through his love.
He will exult over you with shouts of joy
18 as on a day of festival.
I will remove your misfortune
so that you no longer will need to endure reproach.
19 At that time I will deal
with all those who oppress you.
I will rescue the lame
and gather the dispersed.
I will win for them praise and renown
throughout the whole world.
20 At that time I will gather you together
and bring you home.
For I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:9 Despite the dark perspectives connected with the day of the Lord, Zephaniah follows the practice of the other prophets, in looking, now, to a future in which God will save his people, who will be renewed and gathered around him once again. Whatever may happen, it is certain that God’s plan intends life and not death.
Zephaniah 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Zephaniah 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Woe to Oppressive Jerusalem
3 Woe to the city that is rebellious[a](A) and defiled,(B)
the oppressive city!
2 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.
3 The[b] princes within her are roaring lions;(F)
her judges are wolves of the night,(G)
which leave nothing for[c] the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless(H)—
treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to instruction.(I)
5 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)
6 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)
7 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.
8 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
9 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
- Zephaniah 3:1 Or filthy
- Zephaniah 3:3 Lit Her
- Zephaniah 3:3 Or that had nothing to gnaw in
- Zephaniah 3:7 LXX, Syr read her eyes
- Zephaniah 3:8 LXX, Syr read for a witness; Vg reads up forever
- Zephaniah 3:9 Lit with one shoulder
- Zephaniah 3:11 = Israel
- Zephaniah 3:17 LXX, Syr read He will renew you
- Zephaniah 3:18 = Jerusalem
- Zephaniah 3:18 Hb obscure
- Zephaniah 3:20 = people of Israel
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
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
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.