Zephaniah 3

1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

Woe [to] the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city!

2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.

She hath not hearkened to the voice, She hath not accepted instruction, In Jehovah she hath not trusted, Unto her God she hath not drawn near.

3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Her heads in her midst [are] roaring lions, Her judges [are] evening wolves, They have not gnawn the bone in the morning.

4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

Her prophets unstable — men of treachery, Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have violated the law.

5 The just LORD is in the middle thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning does he bring his judgment to light, he fails not; but the unjust knows no shame.

Jehovah [is] righteous in her midst, He doth not do perverseness, Morning by morning His judgment he giveth to the light, It hath not been lacking, And the perverse doth not know shame.

6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passes by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

I have cut off nations, Desolated have been their chief ones, I have laid waste their out-places without any passing by, Destroyed have been their cities, Without man, without inhabitant.

7 I said, Surely you will fear me, you will receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

I have said: Only, ye do fear Me, Ye do accept instruction, And her habitation is not cut off, All that I have appointed for her, But they have risen early, They have corrupted all their doings.

8 Therefore wait you on me, says the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

Therefore, wait for Me — an affirmation of Jehovah, For the day of My rising for prey, For My judgment [is] to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them Mine indignation, All the heat of Mine anger, For by the fire of My jealousy consumed is all the earth.

9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call on the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

For then do I turn unto peoples a pure lip, To call all of them by the name of Jehovah, To serve Him [with] one shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring my offering.

From beyond the rivers of Cush, my supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Do bring My present.

11 In that day shall you not be ashamed for all your doings, wherein you have transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the middle of you them that rejoice in your pride, and you shall no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

In that day thou art not ashamed because of any of thine actions, Wherewith thou hast transgressed against Me, For then do I turn aside from thy midst The exulting ones of thine excellency, And thou dost add no more to be haughty, In My holy mountain.

12 I will also leave in the middle of you an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.

And I have left in thy midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the name of Jehovah.

13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

The remnant of Israel do no perversity, nor speak lies, Nor found in their mouth is a deceitful tongue, For they have delight, and have lain down, And there is none troubling.

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Cry aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, Rejoice and exult with the whole heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

15 The LORD has taken away your judgments, he has cast out your enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the middle of you: you shall not see evil any more.

Jehovah hath turned aside thy judgments, He hath faced thine enemy, The king of Israel, Jehovah, [is] in thy midst, Thou seest evil no more.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear you not: and to Zion, Let not your hands be slack.

In that day it is said to Jerusalem, 'Fear not, O Zion, let not thy hands be feeble.

17 The LORD your God in the middle of you is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over you with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing.

Jehovah thy God [is] in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'

18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of you, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

Mine afflicted from the appointed place I have gathered, from thee they have been, Bearing for her sake reproach.

19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict you: and I will save her that halts, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

Lo, I am dealing with all afflicting thee at that time, And I have saved the halting one, And the driven out ones I do gather, And have set them for a praise and for a name, In all the land of their shame.

20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, said the LORD.

At that time I bring you in, Even at the time of My assembling you, For I give you for a name, and for a praise, Among all peoples of the land, In My turning back [to] your captivity before your eyes, said Jehovah!