“Therefore (A)wait for me,” declares the Lord,
    “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is (B)to gather nations,
    to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
    all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
    (C)all the earth shall be consumed.

The Conversion of the Nations

“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
    to (D)a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
    and serve him with one accord.
10 (E)From beyond the rivers (F)of Cush
    my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
    shall bring my offering.

11 (G)“On that day (H)you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then (I)I will remove from your midst
    your proudly exultant ones,
and (J)you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst
    a people (K)humble and lowly.
(L)They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13     (M)those who are left in Israel;
they (N)shall do no injustice
    and speak no lies,
(O)nor shall there be found in their mouth
    a deceitful tongue.
(P)For they shall graze and lie down,
    and none shall make them afraid.”

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Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord,
        wait for the day when I rise up as a witness,[a]
        when I decide to gather nations,
                to collect kingdoms,
            to pour out my indignation upon them,
                all the heat of my anger.
        In the fire of my jealousy,
            all the earth will be devoured.

Restoration of the nations and Jerusalem

Then I will change the speech of the peoples into pure speech,
        that all of them will call on the name of the Lord
        and will serve him as one.[b]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush,
        my daughter, my dispersed ones, will bring me offerings.
11 On that day, you won’t be ashamed of all your deeds
        with which you sinned against me;
            then I will remove from your midst those boasting with pride.
No longer will you be haughty on my holy mountain,
12     but I will cause a humble and powerless people to remain in your midst;
        they will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The few remaining from Israel won’t commit injustice;
        they won’t tell lies;
        a deceitful tongue won’t be found on their lips.
            They will graze and lie down;
                no one will make them afraid.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:8 LXX; MT it
  2. Zephaniah 3:9 Or with one shoulder