Zephaniah 3
1
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
f the oppressing city!
2
She listens to no voice;
g she accepts no correction.
h She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
3
i Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are j evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
4
k Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
k her priests l profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
5
The Lord within her m is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but n the unjust knows no shame.
6
o "I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
p so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
7
q I said, 'Surely you will fear me;
r you will accept correction.
Then your dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.'
But s all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
8
"Therefore t wait for me," declares the Lord,
"for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is u to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
v all the earth shall be consumed.
9
"For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to w a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
10
x From beyond the rivers y of Cush
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
11
z "On that day a you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then b I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and c you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
12
But I will leave in your midst
a people d humble and lowly.
e They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13
f those who are left in Israel;
they g shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
h nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
i For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid."
14
j Sing 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.
k The King of Israel, l the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16
z On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
"Fear not, O Zion;
m let not your hands grow weak.
17
l The Lord your God is in your midst,
n a mighty one who will save;
o he 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 p for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
19
Behold, at that time q I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And r I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change s their shame into t praise
and renown in all the earth.
20
u At 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,
v when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes," says the Lord.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 6:6
For thus says the Lord of hosts: "Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 5:3
O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 3:12
But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
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Cross References
Ezekiel 22:27
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.
Micah 3:9 - 10
Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight.
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Cross References
Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 23:11
Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord.
Hosea 9:7
The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 23:11
Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord.
Hosea 9:7
The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
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Cross References
Ezekiel 22:26
Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 12:1
Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
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Cross References
Zephaniah 2:1
Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 2:4 - 15
For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
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Cross References
Zechariah 7:14
"and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate."
Zechariah 9:8
Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 36:3
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 3:2
She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord ; she does not draw near to her God.
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Cross References
Micah 7:3
Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
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Cross References
Habakkuk 2:3
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
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Cross References
Joel 3:2
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
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Cross References
Isaiah 19:18
In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.
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Cross References
Psalms 68:31
Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
Isaiah 11:11
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
Isaiah 60:4
Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 2:12
You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
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Cross References
Isaiah 2:11
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
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Cross References
Isaiah 54:4
Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
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Cross References
Malachi 4:1
For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 7:4
Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.
Matthew 3:9
And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
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Cross References
Isaiah 14:32
What will one answer the messengers of the nation? "The Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 3:2
She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord ; she does not draw near to her God.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 2:7
The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
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Cross References
Isaiah 60:21
Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.
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Cross References
Revelation 14:5
And in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
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Cross References
Micah 5:4
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
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Cross References
Isaiah 12:6
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 54:1
Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the Lord.
Zechariah 2:10
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
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Cross References
Matthew 27:42
He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.
John 1:49
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!
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Cross References
Psalms 46:5
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
Zechariah 2:10
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.
Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 3:11
On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.
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Cross References
Isaiah 35:3
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Hebrews 12:12
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 3:15
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
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Cross References
Isaiah 63:1
Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.
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Cross References
Isaiah 62:5
For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Jeremiah 32:41
I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
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Cross References
Lamentations 1:4
The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly.
Lamentations 2:6
He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins his meeting place; the Lord has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.
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Cross References
Isaiah 60:14
The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
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Cross References
Micah 4:6 - 7
In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted.
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Cross References
Isaiah 61:7
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 13:11
For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
Jeremiah 33:9
And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
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Cross References
Isaiah 11:12
He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Jeremiah 32:37
Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety.
Ezekiel 11:17
Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God : I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
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Cross References
Zephaniah 2:7
The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.