Zephaniah 3

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to ^athe oppressing city!

²She ^bobeyed not the voice; she ^creceived not correction;

She ^dtrusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.

^3efHer princes within her are ^groaring lions;

^fHer judges are ^hevening ^ewolves;

They gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

^4ijHer prophets are ^klight and treacherous persons:

ⁱHer priests ^lhave polluted the sanctuary, ^lthey have done violence to the law.

^5mThe just Lord ⁿis in the midst thereof; ^ohe will not do iniquity:

Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he ^pfaileth not;

But ^qthe unjust knoweth no shame. ⁶I have cut off the ^qqnations: their ^rtowers are desolate;

I made their streets waste, ^rrthat none passeth by:

Their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, ^sthat there is none inhabitant.

^7tI said, Surely thou wilt fear me, ^cthou wilt receive instruction;

^uSo their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them:

But ^vthey rose early, and ^wcorrupted all their doings.

⁸Therefore ^xwait ye upon me, saith the Lord,

Until the day that I rise up to ^ythe prey:

For my determination is ^zto gather the nations,

^zThat I may assemble the kingdoms,

To pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger:

For ^aall the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

⁹For then will I turn to the people ^ba pure language,

That they may all call upon the name of the Lord,

To serve him with one consent.

^10bbFrom beyond the rivers of ^cEthiopia

My suppliants, even the daughter of ^dmy dispersed, ^eshall bring ^fmine offering.

^11gIn that day ^hshalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings,

Wherein thou hast transgressed against me:

For then I will take away out of the midst of thee them ⁱthat rejoice in thy pride,

And ^kthou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

¹²I will also leave in the midst of thee ^lan afflicted and poor people,

And ^lthey shall trust in the name of the Lord.

^13mThe remnant of Israel ⁿshall not do iniquity, ^onor speak lies;

^pNeither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth:

For ^qthey shall feed and ^rslie down, ^sand none shall make them afraid.

^14tSing, ^ttO daughter of Zion; ^ushout, O Israel;

Be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

¹⁵The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy:

^vThe king of Israel, even ^wthe Lord, is in the midst of thee:

^xThou shalt not see evil any more.

^16gIn that day ^yit shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not:

And to Zion, ^zLet not ^athine hands be slack.

¹⁷The Lord thy God ^win the midst of thee is mighty;

He will save, ^bhe will rejoice over thee with joy;

He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

¹⁸I will gather them that are ^csorrowful for ^dthe solemn assembly, who are of thee,

To whom the reproach of it was a burden.

¹⁹Behold, ^eat that time I will undo all ^fthat afflict thee:

And I will ^gsave her that halteth,

And ^ggather ^hher that was driven out;

And I will get them ^ijpraise and ⁱfame

In every land where they have been put to shame.

^20eAt that time ^kwill I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you:

For I will make you ⁱa name and ^ija praise among all people of the earth,

When ^lI turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.