Zephaniah

Ah, sullied, polluted,OverbearingaOverbearing Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “Whore”; cf. Isa. 1.21. city!

She heeds no call,Has learned no lesson;She has not trusted in GOD,Has not drawn near to her God.

The officials within herAre roaring lions;Her judges are wolves of the steppe,They leave no bone until morning.bof the steppe, / They leave no bone until morning Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

Her prophets are reckless,Totally faithless;Her priests profane what is holy,They give perverse rulings.

But GOD in her midst is righteous,And does no wrong;[God] issues judgment every morning,As unfailing as the light.The wrongdoer knows no shame!

I wiped out nations:Their corner towers are desolate;I turned their thoroughfares into ruins,With none passing by;Their towns lie waste with nobody around,Without inhabitants.

And I thought that shecshe Heb. “you.” would fear Me,Would learn a lesson,And that the punishment I brought on themdthem Heb. “her.” Would not be lost on her.elost on her Lit. “cut off [from] her vision.” Instead, all the more eagerlyThey have practiced corruption in all their deeds.

But wait for Me—says GOD—For the day when I arise as an accuser;faccuser Understanding ʻad as equivalent to ʻed, with Septuagint and Syriac. When I decide to gather nations,To bring kingdoms together,To pour out My indignation on them,All My blazing anger.Indeed, by the fire of My passionAll the earth shall be consumed.

For then I will make the peoples pure of speech,gI will make the peoples pure of speech Thus reversing the primeval confounding of speech in Babel; cf. Abravanel and Gen. 11.9. So that they all invoke GOD by nameAnd render service with one accord.haccord Lit. “back,” i.e., like working animals.

From beyond the rivers of Cush, My suppliantsiMy suppliants Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Shall bring offerings to Me in Fair Puzai.jPuzai Emendation yields “Zion.” For the thought, cf. Isa. 18.1, 7.

In that day,You will no longer be shamed for all the deedsBy which you have defied Me.For then I will removeThe proud and exultant within you,And you will be haughty no moreOn My sacred mount.kOn My sacred mount I.e., in My holy land; cf. Isa. 11.9; 57.13; 65.25.

But I will leave within youA poor, humble folk,And they shall find refugeIn the name of GOD.

The remnant of IsraelShall do no wrongAnd speak no falsehood;A deceitful tongueShall not be in their mouths.Only such as these shall graze and lie down,With none to trouble them.

Shout for joy, Fair Zion,Cry aloud, O Israel!Rejoice and be glad with all your heart,Fair Jerusalem!

GOD has annulled the judgment against you,And swept away your foes.Israel’s Sovereign GOD is within you;You need fear misfortune no more.

In that day,This shall be said to Jerusalem:Have no fear, O Zion;Let not your hands droop!

Your God the ETERNAL One is in your midst—A warrior who brings triumph—Who will rejoice over you and be glad,Who will shout over you with jubilationWho will lovingly soothe

Those long disconsolate.llovingly … disconsolate Meaning of Heb. uncertain. I will take away from you the woeOver which you endured mockery.mthe woe … mockery Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

At that time I will make [an end]Of all who afflicted you.And I will rescue the lame [sheep]And gather the strayed;And I will exchange their disgraceFor fame and renown in all the earth.

At that time I will gather you,And at [that] time I will bring you [home];For I will make you renowned and famousAmong all the peoples on earth,When I restore your fortunesBefore theirntheir Heb. “your.” very eyes—said GOD.