“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”—a declaration of Yahweh—
    “for the day of my rising as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
    to assemble[a] kingdoms,
    to pour out my wrath upon them, all my burning anger.
For by the fire of my anger all the land shall be consumed.
Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure;[b]
    that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh,
    to serve him in unison.[c]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers and the daughter of my scattered ones
    shall bring my offering.
11 On that day you shall not be humiliated
    on account of all your deeds
    by which you have rebelled against me.
For then I shall remove from your midst
    those exulting in your pride,
and you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.[d]
12 And I will leave in your midst
    a people afflicted and poor,
and they shall take refuge
    in the name of Yahweh.
13 The remnant of Israel
    shall not do wickedness;
they shall not speak deception,
    nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.
For they shall graze and lie down,
    and none shall frighten them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:8 The traditional Hebrew has “assemble me”; this translation follows LXX
  2. Zephaniah 3:9 Literally “I will turn to the nations a purged lip”
  3. Zephaniah 3:9 Literally “with one shoulder”
  4. Zephaniah 3:11 Literally “the mountain of my holiness”