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Zephaniah 3 (Listen)

• Zephaniah 2
• Zephaniah 3
• Haggai 1

Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations

3 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,

fthe oppressing city!

2 She listens to no voice;

gshe accepts no correction.

hShe does not trust in the Lord;

she does not draw near to her God.

3 iHer officials within her

are roaring lions;

her judges are jevening wolves

that leave nothing till the morning.

4 kHer prophets are fickle, treacherous men;

kher priests lprofane what is holy;

they do violence to the law.

5 The Lord within her mis righteous;

he does no injustice;

every morning he shows forth his justice;

each dawn he does not fail;

but nthe unjust knows no shame.

6 o“I have cut off nations;

their battlements are in ruins;

I have laid waste their streets

pso that no one walks in them;

their cities have been made desolate,

without a man, without an inhabitant.

7 qI said, ‘Surely you will fear me;

ryou will accept correction.

Then your1 dwelling would not be cut off

according to all that I have appointed against you.’2

But sall the more they were eager

to make all their deeds corrupt.

8 “Therefore twait for me,” declares the Lord,

“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

For my decision is uto gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them my indignation,

all my burning anger;

for in the fire of my jealousy

vall the earth shall be consumed.

The Conversion of the Nations

9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

to wa pure speech,

that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord

and serve him with one accord.

10 xFrom beyond the rivers yof Cush

my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,

shall bring my offering.

11 z“On that day ayou shall not be put to shame

because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;

for then bI will remove from your midst

your proudly exultant ones,

and cyou shall no longer be haughty

in my holy mountain.

12 But I will leave in your midst

a people dhumble and lowly.

eThey shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,

13 fthose who are left in Israel;

they gshall do no injustice

and speak no lies,

hnor shall there be found in their mouth

a deceitful tongue.

iFor they shall graze and lie down,

and none shall make them afraid.”

Israel's Joy and Restoration

14 jSing aloud, O daughter of Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

he has cleared away your enemies.

kThe King of Israel, lthe Lord, is in your midst;

you shall never again fear evil.

16 zOn that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Fear not, O Zion;

mlet not your hands grow weak.

17 lThe Lord your God is in your midst,

na mighty one who will save;

ohe will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

18 I will gather those of you who mourn pfor the festival,

so that you will no longer suffer reproach.3

19 Behold, at that time qI will deal

with all your oppressors.

And rI will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change stheir shame into tpraise

and renown in all the earth.

20 uAt that time I will bring you in,

at the time when I gather you together;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

vwhen I restore your fortunes

before your eyes,” says the Lord.

• Zephaniah 2
• Zephaniah 3
• Haggai 1