Zephaniah 3

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

Woe [to] the rebelling and defiling, 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 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.

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] wolves [as in] evening, 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 defiled the sanctuary, They have violated the Law.

5 The just LORD [is] in the midst of her; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

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.

6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is no 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 thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, however I punished them: but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings.

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.

8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith 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 upon 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,” 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.

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

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.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cush 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, Bring My present.

11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, in which thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

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.

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

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

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 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.”

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 hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thy enemy: the King of Israel, [even] the LORD, [is] in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

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.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: [and to] Zion, Let not thy hands be slack.

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

17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

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.”

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

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

19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, 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.

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.

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, saith 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 YHWH!