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Woe to Jerusalem

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
    the oppressing city.
She obeys no voice,
    she receives no correction;
she does not trust in the Lord,
    she does not draw near to her God.
Her princes within her are roaring lions;
    her judges are evening wolves
    who leave nothing until the morning.
Her prophets are reckless,
    treacherous men;
her priests have profaned the sanctuary
    and done violence to the law.
The Lord is righteous in her midst;
    He does no unrighteousness.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
    He does not fail,
    but the unjust knows no shame.

I have cut off nations,
    their strongholds are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
    with no one passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
    there is no man, no inhabitant.
I said,
    “Surely you will fear Me;
    and you will receive correction.”
So her dwelling will not be cut off,
    according to all that I have appointed against her.
But they were more eager
    to corrupt all their deeds.

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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.

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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