BBE - Zephaniah - 3

3:1  Sorrow to her who is uncontrolled and unclean, the cruel town!

3:2  She gave no attention to the voice, she had no use for teaching, she put no faith in the Lord, she did not come near to her God.

3:3  Her rulers are like loud-voiced lions in her; her judges are wolves of the evening, crushing up the bones before the morning.

3:4  Her prophets are good-for-nothing persons, full of deceit: her priests have made the holy place unclean and have gone violently against the law.

3:5  The Lord in her is upright; he will not do evil; every morning he lets his righteousness be seen, he is unchanging; but the evil-doer has no sense of shame.

3:6  I have had the nations cut off, their towers are broken down; I have made their streets a waste so that no one goes through them: destruction has overtaken their towns, so that there is no man living in them.

3:7  I said, Certainly you will go in fear of me, and come under my training, so that whatever I may send on her may not be cut off before her eyes: but they got up early and made all their works evil.

3:8  For this reason, go on waiting for me, says the Lord, till the day when I come up as a witness: for my purpose is to send for the nations and to get the kingdoms together, so that I may let loose on them my passion, even all my burning wrath: for all the earth will be burned up in the fire of my bitter passion.

3:9  For then I will give the people a clean language, so that they may all make prayer to the Lord and be his servants with one mind.

3:10  From over the rivers of Ethiopia, and from the sides of the north, they will come to me with an offering.

3:11  In that day you will have no shame on account of all the things in which you did evil against me: for then I will take away from among you those who were lifted up in pride, and you will no longer be lifted up with pride in my holy mountain.

3:12  But I will still have among you a quiet and poor people, and they will put their faith in the name of the Lord.

3:13  The rest of Israel will do no evil and say no false words; the tongue of deceit will not be seen in their mouth: for they will take their food and their rest, and no one will be a cause of fear to them.

3:14  Make melody, O daughter of Zion; give a loud cry, O Israel; be glad and let your heart be full of joy, O daughter of Jerusalem.

3:15  The Lord has taken away those who were judging you, he has sent your haters far away: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is among you: you will have no more fear of evil.

3:16  In that day it will be said to Jerusalem, Have no fear: O Zion, let not your hands be feeble.

3:17  The Lord your God is among you, as a strong saviour: he will be glad over you with joy, he will make his love new again, he will make a song of joy over you as in the time of a holy feast.

3:18  I will take away your troubles, lifting up your shame from off you.

3:19  See, at that time I will put an end to all who have been troubling you: I will give salvation to her whose steps are uncertain, and get together her who has been sent in flight; and I will make them a cause of praise and an honoured name in all the earth, when I let their fate be changed.

3:20  At that time I will make you come in, at that time I will get you together: for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth when I let your fate be changed before your eyes, says the Lord.