Zephaniah 3
1 Woe [to] the rebelling and defiling, The oppressing city!
Alas for her that is rebellious, and polluted, the city that oppresseth!
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 hath hearkened to no voice, accepted no correction; in Yahweh, hath not trusted, to her God, hath not drawn near:
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 rulers in her midst, are roaring lions, —her judges, evening wolves, they have left nothing until morning!
4 Her prophets unstable—men of treachery, Her priests have defiled the sanctuary, They have violated the Law.
Her prophets, are reckless, treacherous men! her priests, have profaned the holy, done violence to 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.
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 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, 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 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, 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 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.
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 turn a pure lip to peoples, To call all of them by the Name of YHWH, To serve Him [with] one shoulder.
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 beyond the rivers of Cush, My supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Bring My present.
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 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, 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 And I have left in your midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the Name of YHWH.
So will I leave remaining in thy midst, a people oppressed and poor, —who will seek refuge in the name of Yahweh:
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 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 Cry aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, Rejoice and exult with the whole heart, 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 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.
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 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, Do not fear, —O 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.”
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 have gathered My afflicted from the appointed place, They have been bearing reproach from you for her sake.
The sad exiles from the appointed meeting, have I gathered, from thee, had they been! [but were] a burden on thee—a reproach!
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 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 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, 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.
