צפניה ג

Ah, sullied, polluted,
Overbearing 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 her
Are roaring lions;
Her judges are wolves of the steppe,
They leave no bone until morning.

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 she would fear Me,
Would learn a lesson,
And that the punishment I brought on them
Would not be lost on her.
Instead, all the more eagerly
They have practiced corruption in all their deeds.

But wait for Me—says GOD—
For the day when I arise as an accuser; 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 passion
All the earth shall be consumed.

For then I will make the peoples pure of speech,
So that they all invoke GOD by name
And render service with one accord.

From beyond the rivers of Cush, My suppliants
Shall bring offerings to Me in Fair Puzai.

In that day,
You will no longer be shamed for all the deeds
By which you have defied Me.
For then I will remove
The proud and exultant within you,
And you will be haughty no more
On My sacred mount.

But I will leave within you
A poor, humble folk,
And they shall find refuge
In the name of GOD.

The remnant of Israel
Shall do no wrong
And speak no falsehood;
A deceitful tongue
Shall 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 jubilation
Who will lovingly soothe

Those long disconsolate.
I will take away from you the woe
Over which you endured mockery.

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 disgrace
For 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 famous
Among all the peoples on earth,
When I restore your fortunes
Before their very eyes
—said GOD.