Zephaniah 3
1 Wo! thou citee, terrere to wraththe, and bouyt ayen a culuer.
Woe to the rebellious and unclean city of oppression,
2 It herde not the vois of the Lord, and resseyuede not techyng, ether chastisyng; it tristenyde not in the Lord, it neiyide not to her God.
She has not obeyed the voice, she has not accepted instruction, In the Lord she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near.
3 Princes therof in myddil therof weren as liouns rorynge; iugis therof weren wolues, in the euentid thei leften not in to morewe.
Her rulers in her midst are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves, who leave nothing over until the morning,
4 Profetis therof weren woode, vnfeithful men; prestis therof defouliden hooli thing, thei diden vniustli ayens the lawe.
Her prophets are braggarts, faithless men. Her priests profane what is holy and do violence to the law.
5 The Lord iust in the myddil therof, schal not do wickidnesse; erli, erli he schal yyue his dom in liyt, and it schal not be hid; forsothe the wickid puple knew not confusioun.
The Lord is righteous in her midst, he does no wrong, Morning by morning he establishes his decree, Light is not lacking, an oversight is unknown. But the unjust know no shame.
6 Y loste folkis, and the corneris of hem ben distried; Y made the weies of hem desert, while there is not that schal passe. The citees of hem ben desolat, for a man is not left, nether ony dwellere.
‘I have cut off nations, their turrets are destroyed; I have laid waste their broad streets, so that none passes over them. Desolate are their cities without people, without inhabitants.’
7 Y seide, Netheles thou schalt drede me, thou schalt resseyue techyng; and the dwellyng place therof schal not perische, for alle thingis in whiche Y visitide it; netheles ful eerli thei risynge han corrupt alle her thouytis.
I said: ‘Surely the city will fear me, she will accept instruction. Nothing will vanish from her eyes that I have impressed upon her; But the more zealously have they made all their deeds corrupt.’
8 Wherfor abide thou me, seith the Lord, in the dai of my rysyng ayen in to comynge. For my doom is, that Y gadere folkis, and Y schal gadere rewmes; and Y schal schede out on hem myn indignacioun, and al wraththe of my strong veniaunce; for in fier of my feruour al erthe schal be deuourid.
Wait for me, is the Lord’s message, until the day when I stand up as a witness, for it is my fixed purpose to gather the nations, to collect the kingdoms, to pour upon them my wrath and my hot anger; for by the fire of my fury will all the earth be consumed.
9 For thanne Y schal yelde to puplis a chosun lippe, that alle clepe inwardli in the name of the Lord, and serue to hym with o schuldre.
For then I will purify the lips of all peoples, so that they will all call on the Lord’s name, to serve him with one accord.
10 Ouer the floodis of Ethiopie, fro thens my bisecheris, the sones of my scaterid men, schulen brynge yifte to me.
From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers will bring me offerings.
11 In that day thou schalt not be confoundid on alle thi fyndyngis, in whiche thou trespassidist ayens me; for thanne Y schal take awei fro the myddil of thee grete spekeris of thi pride, and thou schalt no more put to, for to be enhaunsid in myn hooli hil.
On that day you will no longer be ashamed of all your deeds by which you rebelled against me. For I will rid you of your proudly arrogant ones, and you will never again be haughty on my holy mountain.
12 And Y schal leeue in the myddil of thee a pore puple and nedi; and thei schulen hope in the name of the Lord.
But I will leave in your midst a people humble and poor, and the remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The relifs of Israel schulen not do wickidnesse, nether schulen speke leesyng, and a gileful tunge schal not be foundun in the mouth of hem; for thei schulen be fed, and schulen reste, and ther schal not be that schal make aferd.
They will not do evil, nor speak falsehood, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth; but they will pasture and lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
14 These thingis seith the Lord, Douyter of Sion, herie thou hertli, synge thou, Israel; be thou glad, and make thou ioie withoutforth in al thin herte, thou douyter of Jerusalem.
Cry out with joy, daughter of Zion, shout aloud, Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The Lord hath take a wei thi dom, hath turned a wey thin enemyes; the kyng of Israel the Lord is in myddil of thee, thou schalt no more drede yuel.
The Lord has put away your adversaries, he has turned away your foes; the Lord is king in your midst, you will fear evil no more.
16 In that dai it schal be seid, Jerusalem, nyle thou drede; Sion, thin hondis be not clumsid.
In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: Fear not! Zion, let not your hands grow weak!
17 Thi Lord God is strong in the myddil of thee, he schal saue; he schal make ioie on thee in gladnesse, he schal be stille in thi louyng, he schal make ioie withoutforth on thee in heriyng.
The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious hero. He will rejoice over you with joy, he will renew his love, he will exult over you with singing,
18 Y schal gadere the foolis, ether veyn men, that wenten awei fro the lawe, for thei weren of thee, that thou haue no more schenschipe on hem.
as on a day of festival. I will take away from you your disgrace, and put away from you your reproach.
19 Lo! Y schal sle alle men that turmentiden thee in that tyme, and Y schal saue him that haltith, and Y schal gadere hir that was cast out; and Y schal putte hem in to heriyng, and in to name in ech lond of confusioun of hem, in that tyme in which Y schal brynge you,
I will destroy at that time all who afflict you. I will deliver the lame, and gather the outcast, I will make them an object of renown and fame in all the earth.
20 and in the tyme in which Y schal gadre you. For Y schal yyue you in to name, and in to heriyng to alle puplis of erthe, whanne Y schal conuerte youre caitifte bifore youre iyen, seith the Lord.
I will do good to you, at the time when I gather you. For I will make you an object of fame and renown among all the peoples of the earth; when I bring back your captivity before your eyes. This says the Lord.
