Zephaniah 3

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

Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted, The oppressing 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.

She listeneth to no voice, She receiveth not admonition; She trusteth not in Jehovah, She draweth 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 are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves; They reserve nothing for the morning.

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

Her prophets are vainglorious, Men of treachery; Her priests pollute the sanctuary, They violate 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 Jehovah is just in the midst of her; He doeth no iniquity. Every morning bringeth he his righteousness to light; he faileth not; Yet the wicked knoweth not shame.

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 cut off nations; their towers are destroyed; I have laid waste their streets so that none passeth through; Their cities are made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant.

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.

Then I said, “Surely thou wilt fear me; thou wilt receive admonition, That thy habitation may not be cut off, As I have commanded concerning thee.” But they were diligent to commit iniquity In all their doings.

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 for me, saith Jehovah. Until the day when I rise up to the prey. For my purpose is to gather the nations, to assemble the kingdoms, To pour upon them my indignation, Even all the heat of my wrath. For with the fire of mine anger shall all the earth be devoured.

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.

Then will I again bestow upon the nations pure lips, So that they shall all of them call upon the name of Jehovah, And serve him with one consent.

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

From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants, the sons of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.

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 thou shalt not be ashamed For all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; For I will take away from the midst of thee thy proud exulters, And thou shalt no more exalt thyself 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.

I will leave in the midst of thee a humble and lowly people, Who trust in the name of Jehovah.

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.”

The residue of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak falsehood; Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; Therefore shall they feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

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

Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all thy 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.

Jehovah hath taken away thy punishments; He hath removed thine enemies. The king of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; Thou shalt see evil no more.

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

In that day shall it be said to Jerusalem, Fear not! And to Zion, Let not thy hands hang down!

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.”

Jehovah thy God will be in the midst of thee; The mighty one will save thee. He will rejoice over thee with gladness; He will pardon thee in his love; He will exult over thee with singing.

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

I will gather them that mourn, far from the solemn assembly, They were far from thee; the reproach was a burden upon thee.

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, at that time I will destroy all that afflict thee; And I will save the halting, and gather the scattered, And I will make them a praise and a name In every land where they have been put to shame.

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!

At that time I will bring you back, And at that time I will gather you; For I will make you a name and a praise among all the nations of the earth, When I bring back your captives before your eyes, saith Jehovah.