Zephaniah 3:1–7

Jerusalem Will Be Punished

3How terrible for the wicked, stubborn city of Jerusalem,

which hurts its own people.

²It obeys no voice;

it can’t be taught to do right.

It doesn’t trust the Lord;

it doesn’t worship its God.

³Its officers are like roaring lions.

Its rulers are like hungry wolves that attack in the evening,

and in the morning nothing is left of those they attacked.

⁴Its prophets are proud;

they are people who cannot be trusted.

Its priests don’t respect holy things;

they break God’s teachings.

⁵But the Lord is good, and he is there in that city.

He does no wrong.

Every morning he governs the people fairly;

every day he can be trusted.

But evil people are not ashamed of what they do.

⁶“I have destroyed nations;

their towers were ruined.

I made their streets empty

so no one goes there anymore.

Their cities are ruined;

no one lives there at all.

⁷I said, ‘Surely now Jerusalem will respect me

and will accept my teaching.’

Then the place where they lived would not be destroyed,

and I would not have to punish them.

But they were still eager

to do evil in everything they did.