Zephaniah 3:1–8

WOE TO OPPRESSIVE JERUSALEM

3Woe to the city that is rebellious^Ba and defiled,^b

the oppressive city!

²She has not obeyed;^c

she has not accepted discipline.^d

She has not trusted^e in the Lord;

she has not drawn near to her God.

³The^C princes within her are roaring lions;^f

her judges are wolves of the night,^g

which leave nothing for^D the morning.

⁴Her prophets are reckless^h—

treacherous men.

Her priests profane the sanctuary;

they do violence to instruction.ⁱ

⁵The righteous Lord is in her;^j

he does no wrong.^k

He applies his justice morning by morning;

he does not fail at dawn,

yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.^l

⁶I have cut off nations;

their corner towers^m are destroyed.

I have laid waste their streets,

with no one to pass through.

Their cities lie devastated,

without a person, without an inhabitant.ⁿ

⁷I said: You will certainly fear me

and accept correction.

Then her dwelling place^E

would not be cut off

based on all that I had allocated to her.

However, they became more corrupt

in all their actions.

⁸Therefore, wait for me^o—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

until the day I rise up for plunder.^F

For my decision is to gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

in order to pour out my indignation^p on them,

all my burning anger;

for the whole earth will be consumed

by the fire of my jealousy.^q