Zephaniah 3
1 Sorrow to her who is uncontrolled and unclean, the cruel town!
Alas for her that is rebellious, and polluted, the city that oppresseth!
2 She gave no attention to the voice, she had no use for teaching, she put no faith in the Lord, she did not come near to her God.
She hath hearkened to no voice, accepted no correction; in Yahweh, hath not trusted, to her God, hath not drawn near:
3 Her rulers are like loud-voiced lions in her; her judges are wolves of the evening, crushing up the bones before the morning.
Her rulers in her midst, are roaring lions, —her judges, evening wolves, they have left nothing until morning!
4 Her prophets are good-for-nothing persons, full of deceit: her priests have made the holy place unclean and have gone violently against the law.
Her prophets, are reckless, treacherous men! her priests, have profaned the holy, done violence to law.
5 The Lord in her is upright; he will not do evil; every morning he lets his righteousness be seen, he is unchanging; but the evil-doer has no sense of shame.
Yahweh, the Righteous One, is in her midst, he dealeth not perversely, —Morning by morning, his justice, bringeth he forth the light, He is not found lacking, but the perverse man knoweth no shame.
6 I have had the nations cut off, their towers are broken down; I have made their streets a waste so that no one goes through them: destruction has overtaken their towns, so that there is no man living in them.
I have cut off nations, deserted are their towers, have made desolate their streets, that none passeth through; ruined are their cities, for want of men of note, from lack of any dweller!
7 I said, Certainly you will go in fear of me, and come under my training, so that whatever I may send on her may not be cut off before her eyes: but they got up early and made all their works evil.
I said, Surely thou wilt reverence, Me, wilt accept correction, lest her abode, should be cut of, howsoever I had punished her; but, in truth, they soon corrupted all their deeds.
8 For this reason, go on waiting for me, says the Lord, till the day when I come up as a witness: for my purpose is to send for the nations and to get the kingdoms together, so that I may let loose on them my passion, even all my burning wrath: for all the earth will be burned up in the fire of my bitter passion.
Wherefore, wait for me, urgeth Yahweh, until the day when I rise up as witness, for, my decision, is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them mine indignation, all the glow of mine anger, for, in the fire of my jealousy, shall be devoured the whole earth.
9 For then I will give the people a clean language, so that they may all make prayer to the Lord and be his servants with one mind.
Surely, then, will I turn unto the peoples a lip made pure, —that they all may call on the name of Yahweh, may serve him with one consent.
10 From over the rivers of Ethiopia, and from the sides of the north, they will come to me with an offering.
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, [shall come] my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bear along a gift for me.
11 In that day you will have no shame on account of all the things in which you did evil against me: for then I will take away from among you those who were lifted up in pride, and you will no longer be lifted up with pride in my holy mountain.
In that day, wilt thou not turn pale for all thy deeds, wherein thou hast transgressed against me? For, then, will I take away out of thy midst thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt not again be haughty any more in my holy mountain:
12 But I will still have among you a quiet and poor people, and they will put their faith in the name of the Lord.
So will I leave remaining in thy midst, a people oppressed and poor, —who will seek refuge in the name of Yahweh:
13 The rest of Israel will do no evil and say no false words; the tongue of deceit will not be seen in their mouth: for they will take their food and their rest, and no one will be a cause of fear to them.
The remnant of Israel—will not do perversity, nor speak falsehood, neither shall there be found in their mouth a tongue of deceit, —surely, they, shall feed and lie down, with none to make them afraid.
14 Make melody, O daughter of Zion; give a loud cry, O Israel; be glad and let your heart be full of joy, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Sing out, O daughter of Zion, shout aloud, O Israel, —rejoice and exult with all thy heart, O daughter Jerusalem:
15 The Lord has taken away those who were judging you, he has sent your haters far away: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is among you: you will have no more fear of evil.
Yahweh, hath set aside, thy judgments, hath turned back thy foe, —The king of Israel, Yahweh, is in thy midst, thou shalt not fear calamity, any more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem, Have no fear: O Zion, let not your hands be feeble.
In that day, shall it be said—to Jerusalem, Do not fear, —O Zion, Let not thy hands hang down:
17 The Lord your God is among you, as a strong saviour: he will be glad over you with joy, he will make his love new again, he will make a song of joy over you as in the time of a holy feast.
Yahweh, thy God, in the midst of thee, as a mighty one, will save, —will be glad over thee with rejoicing, will be silent in his love, will exult over thee with shouts of triumph.
18 I will take away your troubles, lifting up your shame from off you.
The sad exiles from the appointed meeting, have I gathered, from thee, had they been! [but were] a burden on thee—a reproach!
19 See, at that time I will put an end to all who have been troubling you: I will give salvation to her whose steps are uncertain, and get together her who has been sent in flight; and I will make them a cause of praise and an honoured name in all the earth, when I let their fate be changed.
Behold me! dealing with all thine oppressors, at that time, —and I will save her that is lame, and, her that hath been an outcast, will I carry, and I will make them to be a Praise and a Name, in the whole earth that hath witnessed their shame.
20 At that time I will make you come in, at that time I will get you together: for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth when I let your fate be changed before your eyes, says the Lord.
At that time, will I bring you in, even at the time when I gather you, —Yea I will grant you to become a Name and a Praise, among all the peoples of the earth, when I cause them of your captivities to return before your eyes, saith Yahweh.
