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Zephaniah 3

The Wickedness of Jerusalem

¹Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, To the oppressing city!

²She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God.

³Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.

⁴Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have done violence to the law.

⁵The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.

⁶“I have cut off nations, Their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, With none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; There is no one, no inhabitant.

⁷I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction’— So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.

A Faithful Remnant

⁸“Therefore wait for Me,” says the Lord, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.

⁹“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him with one accord.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, The daughter of My dispersed ones, Shall bring My offering.

¹¹In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds In which you transgress against Me; For then I will take away from your midst Those who rejoice in your pride, And you shall no longer be haughty In My holy mountain.

¹²I will leave in your midst A meek and humble people, And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

¹³The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness And speak no lies, Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, And no one shall make them afraid.”

Joy in God’s Faithfulness

¹⁴Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.

¹⁶In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.

¹⁷The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

¹⁸“I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.

¹⁹Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame.

²⁰At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes,” Says the Lord.

Zephaniah 3 (NKJV)

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Zephaniah

Chapter 3

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