Zephaniah · Free Bible Version
Zephaniah 3 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 What disaster is coming to corrupted, rebellious Jerusalem, you who oppress people!
1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city!
2 You don't listen to anybody, you don't accept correction, you don't trust in the Lord, you don't ask for God's help.
2 She didn’t obey the voice. She didn’t receive correction. She didn’t trust in Yahweh. She didn’t draw near to her God.
3 Your leaders are as greedy as roaring lions; your judges are ravenous wolves that leave nothing behind by morning.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing until the next day.
4 Your prophets are arrogant, deceitful men who defile what is sacred and who openly break the law.
4 Her prophets are arrogant and treacherous people. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
5 But the Lord who does right is still among you, he does no wrong. Every morning he gives his judgment, every day without fail. But those who act unjustly have no shame.
5 Yahweh, within her, is righteous. He will do no wrong. Every morning he brings his justice to light. He doesn’t fail, but the unjust know no shame.
6 I have destroyed nations. Their fortresses are deserted; their streets are empty; their cities are destroyed—there are no survivors, not one.
6 I have cut off nations. Their battlements are desolate. I have made their streets waste, so that no one passes by. Their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
7 I told myself, “Surely they will respect me now and accept my correction. Then their homes would not be destroyed to teach them a lesson.” But instead you're just as eager to go on doing evil.
7 I said, “Just fear me. Receive correction,” so that her dwelling won’t be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
8 You just wait, declares the Lord. The day is coming when I will rise to give evidence. For I have decided to gather together all the nations and kingdoms and to pour out on them my anger, my fury and my rage. The whole earth will be burned up by the fire of my jealous anger.
8 “Therefore wait for me”, says Yahweh, “until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then I will give the nations pure speech so they can all pray and worship the Lord together.
9 For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on Yahweh’s name, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my scattered people, my worshipers, will come to bring their offerings to me.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush, my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed people, will bring my offering.
11 On that day you won't be ashamed because of what you did in rebelling against me, for I will remove from among you those who are proud and boastful. Never again will you be conceited on my holy mountain.
11 In that day you will not be disappointed for all your doings in which you have transgressed against me; for then I will take away out from among you your proudly exulting ones, and you will no more be arrogant in my holy mountain.
12 I will leave among you those who are meek and humble, those who trust in the name of the Lord.
12 But I will leave among you an afflicted and poor people, and they will take refuge in Yahweh’s name.
13 The people of Israel who remain will not act wickedly nor will they tell lies. They will not deceive one another. They will be able to eat in peace and sleep in safety for there will be nothing to frighten them.
13 The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they will feed and lie down, and no one will make them afraid.”
14 Sing out, Jerusalem! Shout aloud, Israel! Jerusalem, be happy and celebrate with all your heart!
14 Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.
15 For the Lord has turned aside from punishing you, and he has turned back your enemies. The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you, and you will never again have to fear disaster.
15 Yahweh has taken away your judgments. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you. You will not be afraid of evil any more.
16 On that day the message to the people of Jerusalem will be, “Don't be afraid; don't be discouraged!”
16 In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.”
17 The Lord your God is among you as a mighty warrior who saves. He will be so happy with you. He will renew his love for you. He will celebrate over you with loud singing.
17 Yahweh, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the religious festivals—you will no longer have to bear the disgrace.
18 I will remove those who grieve about the appointed feasts from you. They are a burden and a reproach to you.
19 Look at what I am going to do! At that time I am going to deal with all those who have oppressed you. I will save those who are helpless and bring back those who were scattered, and I will turn their shame into praise, and all the world will respect them.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you; and I will save those who are lame and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honor, whose shame has been in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you home, gathering you together. I will give you a good reputation, and you will be praised by all the peoples of the earth when I restore your status before your very eyes, says the Lord.
20 At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says Yahweh.
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Jeremiah 6:6; Isaiah 59:13; Isaiah 30:12; Malachi 3:5; Zechariah 7:10
- 2 Jeremiah 5:3; Jeremiah 22:21; Psalm 73:28; Jeremiah 7:23–28; Psalm 78:22
- 3 Habakkuk 1:8; Ezekiel 22:25–27; Jeremiah 5:6; Psalm 10:8–10; Micah 3:1–4
- 4 Ezekiel 22:26; Lamentations 2:14; Hosea 9:7; Malachi 2:8; Micah 3:5–6
- 5 Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:17; Lamentations 3:23; Zephaniah 3:15; Isaiah 12:6
- 6 Zephaniah 2:5; 1 Corinthians 10:6; Jeremiah 25:9–11; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Isaiah 37:24–26
- 7 Hosea 9:9; Jeremiah 36:3; Zephaniah 3:2; Micah 2:1–2; Jeremiah 7:7
- 8 Joel 3:2; Zephaniah 1:18; Psalm 27:14; Micah 7:7; 2 Peter 3:10
- 9 Genesis 11:1; Isaiah 19:18; Psalm 22:27; Acts 2:4–13; Psalm 86:9–10
- 10 Isaiah 11:11; Psalm 68:31; Isaiah 18:1; Romans 15:16; 1 Peter 1:1
- 11 Isaiah 54:4; Isaiah 11:9; Joel 2:26–27; Isaiah 61:7; Daniel 9:16
- 12 Nahum 1:7; Isaiah 14:32; Zechariah 13:8–9; Isaiah 61:1–3; Isaiah 50:10
- 13 Revelation 14:5; Zephaniah 2:7; Micah 4:7; Isaiah 60:21; Micah 4:4
- 14 Isaiah 12:6; Micah 4:8; Zechariah 2:10–11; Psalm 95:1–2; Isaiah 65:18–19
- 15 Isaiah 51:22; Isaiah 60:18; Zephaniah 3:5; Amos 9:15; Ezekiel 39:29
- 16 Hebrews 12:12; Isaiah 35:3–4; Isaiah 41:10; Ephesians 3:13; Galatians 6:9
- 17 Psalm 149:4; Psalm 147:11; Hebrews 7:25; Isaiah 62:4–5; Jeremiah 32:41
- 18 Psalm 42:2–4; Zephaniah 3:20; Ezekiel 36:24; Lamentations 2:6–7; Lamentations 1:4
- 19 Isaiah 49:25–26; Isaiah 60:14; Jeremiah 30:16; Zephaniah 3:15; Micah 7:10
- 20 Malachi 3:12; Jeremiah 29:14; Isaiah 56:5; Isaiah 60:15; Joel 3:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, in the day of my resurrection, in the future; because it is my determination to assemble the nations, and gather together the kingdoms." And again he says, "The Lord will be terrible upon them, and will exterminate all the gods of the earth; and they shall worship Him every man from his place, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
And farther on in the same context of Scripture He says, Therefore wait thou for Me, saith the Lord, until the day of My Resurrection at the Testimony.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
And I will leave in thee a meek and humble people, and they who shall be left of Israel shall fear the name of the Lord." These are the remnant of whom the apostle quotes that which is elsewhere prophesied: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
In the words of the Prophet that follow in the same context, He says plainly, For then will I turn to the peoples a language: since, after the Resurrection, when the Holy Ghost was sent forth the gift of tongues was granted, that they might serve the Lord under one yoke.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)