Zephaniah 3:1-9

1 Woe! thou city, stirrer to wrath, and bought again a culver. (Woe! O city, a stirrer to anger, filthy and defiled.)

2 It heard not the voice of the Lord, and received not teaching, either chastising; it trusted not in the Lord, it nighed not to her God. (It did not listen to the voice of the Lord, and did not accept his discipline, or his correction; it did not trust in the Lord, it did not come near to its God.)

3 Princes thereof in middle thereof were as lions roaring; judges thereof were wolves, in the eventide they left not into morrow. (Its princes in its midst were like roaring lions; its judges were like wolves, and by the evening they had left nothing for the next morning.)

4 [The] Prophets thereof were wild, and unfaithful men; [the] priests thereof defouled holy thing, they did unjustly against the law. (Its prophets were wild, and unfaithful men; its priests defiled the holy things/its priests defiled the holy place, and they did unrighteously, or wickedly, against the Law.)

5 The Lord is just in the middle thereof, and shall not do wickedness; early, early he shall give his doom in light, and it shall not be hid; forsooth the wicked people knew not confusion. (But the Lord in its midst is just, or is righteous, and shall never do wickedness; morning after morning he bringeth forth his judgement, and it shall never be hid; but the wicked people there were still not ashamed.)

6 I lost folks, and the corners of them be destroyed; I made the ways of them desert, while there is not that shall pass. The cities of them be desolate, for a man is not left, neither any dweller. (The Lord saith, I have destroyed nations, and I have also destroyed their towers, or their fortresses; I have made their ways deserted, where there is no one who shall pass by. Their cities be desolate, for now no one is left there, not one inhabitant.)

7 I said, Nevertheless thou shalt dread me, thou shalt receive teaching; and the dwelling place thereof shall not perish, for all things in which I visited it; nevertheless full early they rising, have corrupted all their thoughts. (And I said, Now, my people, thou shalt fear me/thou shalt revere me, and thou shalt receive my discipline, or my correction; and thy dwelling place shall not perish, even after all the things which I did to it; but rising very early, they have continued to be corrupt in all their thoughts, and in all their doings.)

8 Wherefore abide thou me, saith the Lord, in the day of my rising again into coming. For my doom is, that I gather folks, and I shall gather realms; and I shall shed out on them mine indignation, and all the wrath of my strong vengeance; for in fire of my fervour all earth shall be devoured. (And so wait thou for me, saith the Lord, for the day to come of my rising again. For my judgement, or my justice, is, that I shall gather people, and I shall gather kingdoms; and then I shall pour out upon them my indignation, and all the anger of my strong vengeance; for in the fire of my fervour all the earth shall be devoured.)

9 For then I shall yield to peoples a chosen lip, that all call inwardly in the name of the Lord, and serve to him with one shoulder. (And then I shall give pure lips to the peoples, so that all of them can call upon the name of the Lord, and they shall serve him with one shoulder, or with one accord.)

Zephaniah 3:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH 3

In this chapter the character of the city of Jerusalem, and its inhabitants in general, is drawn, as it would be, and as it was, in the times of Christ and his apostles, Zep 3:1,2 and of the principal persons of it in particular, its princes, judges, prophets, and priests, Zep 3:3,4. The hardness, impenitence, and shamelessness of this people, are exposed and aggravated by the just Lord being among them; who, by his example and doctrine, taught them otherwise; yet they were not amended or made ashamed, Zep 3:5 nor received instruction, nor took warning by the judgments of God on other nations, Zep 3:6,7 wherefore the followers of God are called upon to wait his time, who would gather many people together, and destroy the whole land of Judea, Zep 3:8 at which time he would send his Gospel among the Gentiles, who should thereby be brought to the true worship and service of God, Zep 3:9,10 though there should be a remnant among the Jews, according to the election of grace, that should be saved from that general calamity, Zep 3:11-13 and the spiritual Israel are encouraged with promises of better times, when the Jews in general should be converted and gathered into the church of God, have the presence and protection of God with them, and deliverance from all their enemies, and be a praise among all people of the earth, Zep 3:14-20.