Zephaniah
Chapter 3
1 Sadness to the dirty and tainted city, to the one that oppresses!
2 She did not listen; she did not accept correction; she did not trust in God; she did not draw close to her God.
3 Her leaders inside her city are like loud lions; her judges are like wolves at night; they don’t even leave bones until the next day.
4 Her prophets are unreliable and deceitful; her priests have made the holy place dirty and have broken the law.
5 The fair God is in the middle of it all; he will not act wrongly: every morning he shows his fair decisions, he does not fail; but the unfair have no shame.
6 I have destroyed the nations: their towers are empty; I have made their streets empty, so no one passes by: their cities are ruined, with no people, with no one living there.
7 I thought, ‘You will surely respect God and accept guidance, so your homes won’t be destroyed, no matter how I punish you.’ But they got up early and ruined everything they did.
8 Wait for me, says God, until the day I come to punish. I plan to bring together nations and kingdoms, so I can unleash my fury and intense anger on them. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy.
9 Then I will give the people a clear language, so they can all call on God’s name and serve him together.
10 From beyond Ethiopia’s rivers, my worshipers, the scattered people’s children, will bring me gifts.
11 On that day, you will not feel shame for all your wrong actions against me; because I will remove from you those who take pride in your arrogance, and you will no longer act superior because of my sacred hill.
12 I will also leave among you a suffering and poor people, and they will trust in God’s name.
13 The remaining people of Israel will not do wrong, nor will they tell lies; they will not have deceitful speech: because they will eat and rest, and no one will scare them.
14 Sing, daughter of Zion; yell, Israel; be happy and celebrate with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.
15 God has removed your punishments and thrown out your enemies. The King of Israel, God Himself, is with you; you will not see evil again.
16 On that day, they will tell Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid,” and to Zion, “Don’t let your hands grow weak.”
17 God among you is powerful; he will save you, he will be happy with great joy; he will find peace in his love, he will delight in you with singing.
18 I will bring together those who are sad because of the holy meeting, who belong to you, and felt its disgrace as a heavy load.
19 Look, I will fix everything that hurts you at that time. I will rescue the limping one and bring back those who were scattered. I will give them honor and recognition in all the places where they were disgraced.
20 At that time, I will bring you back when I gather you. I will make your name honored and praised by all people on earth, when I free you and you see it, says God.