Zephaniah 3

The Wickedness of Jerusalem

1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, To the oppressing city!2 She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God.3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.4 Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have done violence to the law.5 The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.6 I have cut off nations, Their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, With none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; There is no one, no inhabitant.7 I said, Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.

A Faithful Remnant

8 Therefore wait for Me, says the Lord, Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.9 For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him with one accord.10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, The daughter of My dispersed ones, Shall bring My offering.11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds In which you transgress against Me; For then I will take away from your midst Those who rejoice in your pride, And you shall no longer be haughty In My holy mountain.12 I will leave in your midst A meek and humble people, And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.13 The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness And speak no lies, Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, And no one shall make them afraid.

Joy in Gods Faithfulness

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!15 The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.18 I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame.20 At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your 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!