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The Wickedness of Jerusalem

Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled,
    the oppressing city!
She listens to no voice,
    she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
    she does not draw near to her God.

Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
    that leave nothing till the morning.
Her prophets are wanton,
    faithless men;
her priests profane what is sacred,
    they do violence to the law.
The Lord within her is righteous,
    he does no wrong;
every morning he shows forth his justice,
    each dawn he does not fail;
    but the unjust knows no shame.

“I have cut off nations;
    their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
    so that none walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
    without a man, without an inhabitant.
I said, ‘Surely she will fear me,
    she will accept correction;
she will not lose sight[a]
    of all that I have enjoined upon her.’
But all the more they were eager
    to make all their deeds corrupt.”

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:7 Gk Syr: Heb and her dwelling will not be cut off

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