Zephaniah 3
1 Alas the glorious and ransomed city.
2 The dove hearkened not to the voice;
she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord, and she drew not
near to her God. 3 Her princes within
her were as roaring lions, her judges as the wolves of Arabia; they remained
not till the morrow. 4 Her prophets
are light and scornful men: her priests profane the
holy things, and sinfully transgress the law.
5 But the just Lord is in the midst of
her, and he will never do an unjust thing: morning by morning he will bring
out his judgment to the light, and it is not hidden, and he knows not
injustice by extortion, nor injustice in strife.
6 I have brought down the proud with
destruction; their corners are destroyed: I will make their ways completely
waste, so that none shall go through: their cities are come to an end, by
reason of no man living or dwelling in them.
7 I said, But do ye fear me, and
receive instruction, and ye shall not be cut off from the face of the land
for all the vengeance I have brought upon her:
prepare thou, rise early: all their produce is spoilt.
8 Therefore wait upon me, saith the
Lord, until the day when I rise up for a witness: because my judgment
shall be on the gatherings of the nations, to draw to
me kings, to pour out upon them all my fierce anger:
for the whole earth shall be consumed with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then will I turn to the peoples
a tongue for her generation, that all may call on the name of the Lord, to
serve him under one yoke. 10 From the
boundaries of the rivers of Ethiopia will I receive my dispersed ones; they
shall offer sacrifices to me. 11 In
that day thou shalt not be ashamed of all thy practices, wherein thou hast
transgressed against me: for then will I take away from thee thy disdainful
pride, and thou shalt no more magnify thyself upon my holy mountain.
12 And I will leave in thee a meek
and lowly people; 13 and the remnant
of Israel shall fear the name of the Lord, and shall do no iniquity, neither
shall they speak vanity; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their
mouth: for they shall feed, and lie down, and there shall be none to terrify
them.
14 Rejoice, O daughter of Sion; cry
aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; rejoice and delight thyself with all thine
heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The Lord has taken away thine
iniquities, he has ransomed thee from the hand of thine enemies: the Lord, the
King of Israel, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16 At that time the Lord shall say to
Jerusalem, Be of good courage, Sion; let not thine hands be slack.
17 The Lord thy God is in thee; the
Mighty One shall save thee: he shall bring joy upon thee, and shall refresh
thee with his love; and he shall rejoice over thee with delight as in a day of
feasting. 18 And I will gather thine
afflicted ones. Alas! who has taken up a reproach against her?
19 Behold, I
will work in thee for thy sake at that time, saith
the Lord: and I will save her that was oppressed, and receive her that was
rejected; and I will make them a praise, and honoured in all the earth.
20 And
their enemies shall be ashamed at that time, when I
shall deal well with you, and at the time when I shall receive you: for I will
make you honoured and a praise among all the nations of the earth, when I turn
back your captivity before you, saith the Lord.