Zephaniah 3:1-20
3 Alas, the disobedient and polluted one, the arbitrary city,
2 that obeyed no voice, learned nothing by discipline, had no confidence in Jehovah, would not come near her God!
3 her generals in her midst are roaring lions, her judges evening wolves that do no morning gnawing;
4 her prophets are reckless, faithless men, her priests treat sanctities as profane, they tamper with rulings.
5 ** Jehovah, a righteous one, is in her; he will do no foul play; morning by morning he brings his justice to the light, he does not default, he does not know how to play foul.
6 * I made away with nations, their corner-towers are desolate, I laid their streets waste till there is not a passer, their cities are wrecked till there is not a man, to the last inhabitant;
7 * I thought “It must be you will fear me, will let yourself learn, and she will not lose sight of all the visitations I have sent her”; in fact the first thing they did was to make all their practices vicious.
8 So wait for me, quoth Jehovah, for my day of standing up as witness; for it is my judgment to bring nations together, to gather kingdoms, to pour out my hostility on them, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.
9 ** For then I will turn the lips of all the peoples clean, that they may all call on Jehovah’s name and cooperate in his service.
10 **** From beyond the African rivers the Pathrusites shall bring my aromas, my offering.
11 * On that day you shall not be put to shame for all your practices in which you have been so rebellious against me: for then I will remove from among you your hilariously self-confident men, and they shall never again be pretentious in my holy mountain,
12 and I will leave among you a people in hardship and poverty, who shall take refuge in Jehovah’s name.
13 The remnant of Israel shall do no foul play and tell no lie, and a dishonest tongue shall not be found in their mouth. For they shall pasture and lie down with no one to alarm them.
14 Shout, daughter of Sion; cheer, Israel; be heartily glad and gleeful, daughter of Jerusalem.
15 Jehovah has taken off all your judgments, has cleared away all your enemies; Jehovah is king in your midst, you shall not see trouble again.
16 On that day Jerusalem shall have it said to her “Do not be afraid, Sion, do not lose heart:
17 * your God Jehovah is in your midst, a saving champion; he will blithely delight in you, will be quiet in his love, will jubilate over you with a shout.”
18 * As on an anniversary day I bring together her smitten ones on the day of taking off taunting from her.
19 * Here I will at that time be making an end of those who inflict hardships on you, and will save what was breaking down and gather together what was straying, and render them a praise and a name in every country of their shame.
20 ** At that time I will bring you, and at that time I will gather you together; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I come back to you before your eyes, says Jehovah.
Footnotes
^ 3:5 Or Jehovah is righteous, he will do no foul play in her
^ 3:5 (end) Codd. a foul-player does not know shame
^ 3:6 Or their battlements are
^ 3:7 Conj. she will fear me, will let herself
^ 3:9 Lit. I will turn to all the nations a clean lip
^ 3:9 Lit. serve him with one shoulder
^ 3:10 Or service. Beyond
^ 3:10 (Pathrusites) Codd. the daughter of my scattered ones
^ 3:10 Or my suppliants, the Pathrusites, shall bring my offering
^ 3:10 (aromas) Conj. he-goats
^ 3:11 Lit. be high
^ 3:17 (will be quiet in his love) Susp.; var. will renew you in his love
^ 3:18 Codd. as on an anniversary day; and I will bring together the smitten ones—alas, who has borne flouting for her? Var. Those who grieve out of the meeting-place I bring together; out of you they were; flouting is a burden on her
^ 3:19 Codd. and a name—in all the earth was (unc.) their shame Conj. and a name in all the earth (omit their shame)
^ 3:20 Codd. and at the time shall be my gathering you together
^ 3:20 Or I bring you back from captivity before
