Zephaniah 3

¹Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled,

the oppressing city!

²She listens to no voice,

she accepts no correction.

She does not trust in the Lord,

she does not draw near to her God.

³Her officials within her

are roaring lions;

her judges are evening wolves

that leave nothing till the morning.

⁴Her prophets are wanton, faithless men;

her priests profane what is sacred,

they do violence to the law.

⁵The Lord within her is righteous,

he does no wrong;

every morning he shows forth his justice,

each dawn he does not fail;

but the unjust knows no shame.

⁶“I have cut off nations;

their battlements are in ruins;

I have laid waste their streets

so that none walks in them;

their cities have been made desolate,

without a man, without an inhabitant.

⁷I said, ‘Surely she will fear me,

she will accept correction;

she will not lose sight

of all that I have enjoined upon her.’

But all the more they were eager

to make all their deeds corrupt.”

⁸“Therefore wait for me,” says the Lord,

“for the day when I arise as a witness.

For my decision is to gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them my indignation,

all the heat of my anger;

for in the fire of my jealous wrath

all the earth shall be consumed.

⁹“Yea, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

to a pure speech,

that all of them may call on the name of the Lord

and serve him with one accord.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones,

shall bring my offering.

¹¹“On that day you shall not be put to shame

because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;

for then I will remove from your midst

your proudly exultant ones,

and you shall no longer be haughty

in my holy mountain.

¹²For I will leave in the midst of you

a people humble and lowly.

They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,

¹³those who are left in Israel;

they shall do no wrong

and utter no lies,

nor shall there be found in their mouth

a deceitful tongue.

For they shall pasture and lie down,

and none shall make them afraid.”

¹⁴Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,

he has cast out your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall fear evil no more.

¹⁶On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear, O Zion;

let not your hands grow weak.

¹⁷The Lord your God is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

¹⁸as on a day of festival.

“I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

¹⁹Behold, at that time I will deal

with all your oppressors.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

²⁰At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you together;

yea, I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes,” says the Lord.