Zephaniah 3

The Future of Jerusalem

1 Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!

2 She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
she does not draw near to her God.

3 Her officials are roaring lions,
her rulers are evening wolves,
who leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are arrogant;
they are treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.

5 The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.

6 “I have cut off nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are destroyed;
no one will be left—no one at all.

7 I said to the city,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’
Then her dwelling would not be cut off,
nor all my punishments come upon her.
But they were still eager
to act corruptly in all they did.

8 Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
by the fire of my jealous anger.

9 “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.

11 On that day you will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from this city
those who rejoice in their pride.
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.

12 But I will leave within you
the meek and humble,
who trust in the name of the Lord.

13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will speak no lies,
nor will deceit be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”

14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

17 The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “The sorrows for the appointed feasts
I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.

19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame
and gather those who have been scattered.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they were put to shame.

20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

ZEPHANIAH 3

Sinful Jerusalem

1 Too bad for that disgusting,
corrupt, and lawless city!

2 Forever rebellious
and rejecting correction,
Jerusalem refuses to trust
or obey the [Lord] God.

3 Its officials are roaring lions,
its judges are wolves;
in the evening they attack,
by morning nothing is left.

4 Jerusalem's prophets are proud
and not to be trusted.
The priests have disgraced
the place of worship
and abused God's Law.

5 All who do evil are shameless,
but the [Lord] does right
and is always fair.
With the dawn of each day,
God brings about justice.

6 The [Lord] wiped out nations
and left fortresses
crumbling in the dirt.
Their streets and towns
were reduced to ruins
and emptied of people.

7 God felt certain that Jerusalem
would learn to respect
and obey him.
Then he would hold back
from punishing the city
and not wipe it out.
But everyone there was eager
to start sinning again.

Nations Will Turn //to the [Lord]

8 The [Lord] said:
Just wait for the day
when I accuse you nations.
I have decided on a day,
when I will bring together
every nation and kingdom
and punish them all
in my fiery anger.
I will become furious
and destroy the earth.

9 I will purify each language
and make those languages
acceptable for praising me.t
Then, with hearts united,
everyone will serve
only me, the [Lord].

10 From across the rivers
of Ethiopia, t
my scattered people,
my true worshipers,
will bring offerings to me.

11 When that time comes,
you won't rebel against me
and be put to shame.
I'll do away with those
who are proud and arrogant.
Never will any of them
strut around
on my holy mountain.

12 But I, the [Lord], won't destroy
any of your people
who are truly humble
and turn to me for safety.

13  t The people of Israel who survive
will live right
and refuse to tell lies.
They will eat and rest
with nothing to fear.

A Song of Celebration

14 Everyone in Jerusalem and Judah,
celebrate and shout
with all your heart!

15 Zion, your punishment is over.
The [Lord] has forced your enemies
to turn and retreat.
Your [Lord] is King of Israel
and stands at your side;
you don't have to worry
about any more troubles.

16 Jerusalem, the time is coming,
when it will be said to you:
“Don't be discouraged
or grow weak from fear!

17 The [Lord] your God
wins victory after victory
and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings
because of you,
and he will refresh your life
with his love.”t

The [Lord]'s Promise //to His People

18 The [Lord] has promised:
Your sorrow has ended,
and you can celebrate.t

19 I will punish those
who mistreat you.
I will bring together the lame
and the outcasts,
then they will be praised,
instead of despised,
in every country on earth.

20 I will lead you home,
and with your own eyes
you will see me bless you
with all you once owned.
Then you will be famous
everywhere on this earth.
I, the [Lord], have spoken!