Zephaniah 3

1 Woe [to] the rebelling and defiling, The oppressing city!

This is the scornful city that dwells securely, that says in her heart, I am, and there is no longer any [to be] after me: how is she become desolate, a habitation of wild beasts! every one that passes through her shall hiss, and shake his hands. Alas the glorious and ransomed city.

2 She has not listened to the voice, She has not accepted instruction, In YHWH she has not trusted, She has not drawn near to her God.

The dove listened not to the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord, and she drew not near to her God.

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

Her princes within her were as roaring lions, her judges as the wolves of Arabia; they remained not till the morrow.

4 Her prophets unstable—men of treachery, Her priests have defiled the sanctuary, They have violated the Law.

Her prophets are light [and] scornful men: her priests profane the holy things, and sinfully transgress the law.

5 YHWH [is] righteous in her midst, He does not do perverseness, Morning by morning His judgment He gives to the light, It has not been lacking, And the perverse do not know shame.

But the just Lord is in the midst of her, and he will never do an unjust thing: morning by morning he will bring out his judgment to the light, and it is not hidden, and he knows not injustice by extortion, nor injustice in strife.

6 “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.

I have brought down the proud with destruction; their corners are destroyed: I will make their ways completely waste, so that none shall go through: their cities are come to an end, by reason of no man living or dwelling [in them].

7 I have said: Only, you fear Me, You 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.

I said, But do you fear me, and receive instruction, and you shall not be cut off from the face of the land [for] all the vengeance I have brought upon her: prepare you, rise early: all their produce is spoilt.

8 Therefore, wait for Me,” A declaration of YHWH, “For the day of My rising for prey, For My judgment [is] to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All the heat of My anger, For by the fire of My jealousy all the earth is consumed.

Therefore wait upon me, says the Lord, until the day when I rise up for a witness: because my judgment [shall be] on the gatherings of the nations, to draw to me kings, to pour out upon them all [my] fierce anger: for the whole earth shall be consumed with the fire of my jealousy.

9 For then I turn a pure lip to peoples, To call all of them by the Name of YHWH, To serve Him [with] one shoulder.

For then will I turn to the peoples a tongue for her generation, that all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve him under one yoke.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush, My supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Bring My present.

From the boundaries of the rivers of Ethiopia will I receive my dispersed ones; they shall offer sacrifices to me.

11 In that day you are not ashamed because of any of your actions, With which you have transgressed against Me, For then I turn aside from your midst The exulting ones of your excellence, And you are to be haughty no longer, In My holy mountain.

In that day you shall not be ashamed of all your practices, wherein you have transgressed against me: for then will I take away from you your disdainful pride, and you shall no more magnify yourself upon my holy mountain.

12 And I have left in your midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the Name of YHWH.

And I will leave in you a meek and lowly people;

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

and the remnant of Israel shall fear the name of the Lord, and shall do no iniquity, neither shall they speak vanity; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed, and lie down, and there shall be none to terrify them.

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

Rejoice, O daughter of Sion; cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; rejoice and delight yourself with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

15 YHWH has turned aside your judgments, He has faced your enemy, The King of Israel, YHWH, [is] in your midst, You see evil no more.

The Lord has taken away your iniquities, he has ransomed you from the hand of your enemies: the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of you: you shall not see evil any more.

16 In that day it is said to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion, Do not let your hands be feeble.

At that time the Lord shall say to Jerusalem, Be of good courage, Sion; let not your hands be slack.

17 Your God YHWH [is] in your midst, A mighty one [to] save, He rejoices over you with joy, He works in His love, He delights over you with singing.”

The Lord your God is in you; the Mighty One shall save you: he shall bring joy upon you, and shall refresh you with his love; and he shall rejoice over you with delight as in a day of feasting.

18 “I have gathered My afflicted from the appointed place, They have been bearing reproach from you for her sake.

And I will gather your afflicted ones. Alas! who has taken up a reproach against her?

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

Behold, I [will] work in you for your sake at that time, says the Lord: and I will save her that was oppressed, and receive her that was rejected; and I will make them a praise, and honored in all the earth.

20 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 YHWH!

And [their enemies] shall be ashamed at that time, when I shall deal well with you, and at the time when I shall receive you: for I will make you honored and a praise among all the nations of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before you, says the Lord.