Zephaniah 3
Christian Standard Bible
Woe to Oppressive Jerusalem
3 Woe to the city that is rebellious[a](A) and defiled,(B)
the oppressive city!
2 She has not obeyed;(C)
she has not accepted discipline.(D)
She has not trusted(E) in the Lord;
she has not drawn near to her God.
3 The[b] princes within her are roaring lions;(F)
her judges are wolves of the night,(G)
which leave nothing for[c] the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless(H)—
treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to instruction.(I)
5 The righteous Lord is in her;(J)
he does no wrong.(K)
He applies his justice morning by morning;
he does not fail at dawn,
yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.(L)
6 I have cut off nations;
their corner towers(M) are destroyed.
I have laid waste their streets,
with no one to pass through.
Their cities lie devastated,
without a person, without an inhabitant.(N)
7 I said: You will certainly fear me
and accept correction.
Then her dwelling place[d]
would not be cut off
based on all that I had allocated to her.
However, they became more corrupt
in all their actions.
8 Therefore, wait for me(O)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
until the day I rise up for plunder.[e]
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour out my indignation(P) on them,
all my burning anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of my jealousy.(Q)
Final Restoration Promised
9 For I will then restore
pure(R) speech to the peoples
so that all of them may call
on the name of the Lord
and serve him with a single purpose.[f]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush(S)
my supplicants, my dispersed people,
will bring an offering to me.
11 On that day you[g] will not be put to shame(T)
because of everything you have done
in rebelling(U) against me.
For then I will remove
from among you your jubilant,(V) arrogant people,
and you will never again be haughty
on my holy mountain.(W)
12 I will leave
a meek and humble people(X) among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant(Y) of Israel will no longer
do wrong or tell lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found
in their mouths.
They will pasture and lie down,
with nothing to make them afraid.(Z)
14 Sing for joy, Daughter Zion;
shout loudly, Israel!
Be glad and celebrate with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has removed your punishment;
he has turned back your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is among you;
you need no longer fear harm.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, do not let your hands grow weak.(AA)
17 The Lord your God is among you,
a warrior(AB) who saves.
He will rejoice over you(AC) with gladness.
He will be quiet[h] in his love.
He will delight in you with singing.”(AD)
18 I will gather those who have been driven(AE)
from the appointed festivals;
they will be a tribute from you[i]
and a reproach on her.[j]
19 Yes, at that time
I will deal with all who oppress you.
I will save the lame(AF) and gather the outcasts;(AG)
I will make those who were disgraced
throughout the earth
receive praise and fame.
20 At that time I will bring you[k] back,
yes, at the time I will gather you.
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes(AH) before your eyes.
The Lord has spoken.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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