Zep Zephaniah, chapter Book of Zephaniah, chapter 3
Judgment on Jerusalem
Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
She heeded no voice;
she accepted no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD;
she has not drawn near to her God.
Her princes are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves,
leaving nothing for the morning.Ezk 22:27; Mic 3:10
Her prophets are reckless,
faithless men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to the law.Jer 23:11; Hos 9:7; Ezk 22:26
The LORD within her is righteous;
He does no wrong.
He applies His justice morning by morning;
He does not fail at dawn,
yet the unjust know no shame.Mal 2:6; 2Ch 36:15; Dan 9:20
Purification of the Nations
“I have cut off the nations;
their corner towers are destroyed.
I have made their streets deserted
with no one to pass through.
Their cities are laid waste,
with no man, no inhabitant.
I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me
and accept correction.’
Then her dwelling place would not be cut off
despite all for which I punished her.
But they rose early
to corrupt all their deeds.Isa 8:13; Isa 26:9; Zec 1:3
Therefore wait for Me,”
declares the LORD,
“until the day
I rise to testify.3:8 LXX and Syriac; Hebrew rise up to plunder
For My decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them My indignation —
all My burning anger.
For all the earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.Zep 1:18
A Faithful Remnant
For then I will restore
pure lips to the peoples,
that all may call upon the name of the LORD
and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.Isa 29:18; Isa 61:1; Hos 2:14
From beyond the rivers of Cush3:10 That is, the upper Nile region
My worshipers, My scattered people,
will bring Me an offering.Isa 18:7; Rom 15:16; 1Pe 1:1
On that day you will not be put to shame
for any of the deeds
by which you have transgressed against Me.
For then I will remove from among you
those who rejoice in their pride,
and you will never again be haughty
on My holy mountain.Rom 6:21
But I will leave within you a meek and humble people,
and they will trust in the name of the LORD.Isa 6:13; Isa 11:16; 1Co 1:26
The remnant of Israel
will no longer do wrong or speak lies,
nor will a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
But they will feed and lie down,
with no one to make them tremble.”Isa 29:23; Rev 14:5; Jhn 10:11
Israel’s Restoration
Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!Isa 12:6; Isa 35:1; Zec 9:9
The LORD has taken away your punishment;
He has turned back your enemy.
Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;
no longer will you fear any harm.Isa 40:2; Rev 19:16
On that day they will say to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands fall limp.Isa 12:2; Zec 8:13
The LORD your God is among you;
He is mighty to save.
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you with His love;3:17 Or He will be silent in His love; LXX and Syriac He will renew you with His love
He will rejoice over you with singing.”Isa 25:4; Ezk 11:16
“I will gather those among you who grieve
over the appointed feasts,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
Behold, at that time,
I will deal with all who afflict you.
I will save the lame
and gather the scattered;
and I will appoint praise and fame
for the disgraced throughout the earth.Mic 4:7
At that time I will bring you in;
yes, at that time I will gather you.
For I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your captives3:20 Or your fortunes
before your very eyes,”