Atlas Biblica

    Zephaniah · 20 verses

    Zephaniah 3

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    The chapter

    What happens here

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    The LORD promises to quiet His people with love, and then—rather wonderfully—to rejoice over them with singing.

    A city that rises early to do wrongvv. 1–8

    The city is rebellious, defiled, and deaf to every voice of correction. Its princes hunt like roaring lions, its judges like evening wolves, while its prophets and priests make a ruin of their offices. The LORD remains righteous within it, applying justice faithfully at dawn, but the unjust appear to have made a particular appointment with shamelessness: even after punishment and warning, they rise early to corrupt all their deeds. The LORD therefore gathers nations and kingdoms for the day of His burning anger, while telling them to wait for Him.

    Pure lips and a quiet remnantvv. 9–13

    After the fire comes a curious tidying of speech: the peoples receive pure lips, so that they may call on the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. The scattered worshipers bring an offering from beyond the rivers of Cush. Pride is removed from the holy mountain, while a meek and humble people remain; the remnant of Israel feeds and lies down without deceit, wrongdoing, or anyone to make them tremble.

    Singing over the disgracedvv. 14–20

    The mood turns sharply: Zion, Israel, and Jerusalem are summoned to sing, shout, and rejoice because the LORD has taken away their punishment and turned back their enemy. He is among them, mighty to save, and His manner is unexpectedly tender—He quiets them with love and sings over them. Those who grieve are gathered, the lame are saved, the scattered are brought in, and the disgraced receive praise and fame throughout the earth. The final gathering restores captives before their own eyes, which is a very public reversal indeed.

    The text

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    Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

    1. Zeph 3:1Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

    2. Zeph 3:2She heeded no voice; she accepted no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she has not drawn near to her God.

    3. Zeph 3:3Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.

    4. Zeph 3:4Her prophets are reckless, faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to the law.

    5. Zeph 3:5The LORD within her is righteous; He does no wrong. He applies His justice morning by morning; He does not fail at dawn, yet the unjust know no shame.

    6. Zeph 3:6“I have cut off the nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have made their streets deserted with no one to pass through. Their cities are laid waste, with no man, no inhabitant.

    7. Zeph 3:7I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me and accept correction.’ Then her dwelling place would not be cut off despite all for which I punished her. But they rose early to corrupt all their deeds.

    8. Zeph 3:8Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “until the day I rise to testify. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My indignation—all My burning anger. For all the earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy.

    9. Zeph 3:9For then I will restore pure lips to the peoples, that all may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

    10. Zeph 3:10From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.

    11. Zeph 3:11On that day you will not be put to shame for any of the deeds by which you have transgressed against Me. For then I will remove from among you those who rejoice in their pride, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.

    12. Zeph 3:12But I will leave within you a meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the LORD.

    13. Zeph 3:13The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. But they will feed and lie down, with no one to make them tremble.”

    14. Zeph 3:14Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!

    15. Zeph 3:15The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.

    16. Zeph 3:16On that day they will say to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.

    17. Zeph 3:17The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”

    18. Zeph 3:18“I will gather those among you who grieve over the appointed feasts, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

    19. Zeph 3:19Behold, at that time, I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather the scattered; and I will appoint praise and fame for the disgraced throughout the earth.

    20. Zeph 3:20At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes,” says the LORD.

    01 — Also here

    Who else the chapter reaches

    Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

    Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

    02 — Read alongside

    Where this is echoed

    Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 459 passages were voted onto 20 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

    • 19Isaiah 49:25–26Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.
    • 19Isaiah 60:14The sons of your oppressors will come and bow down to you; all who reviled you will fall facedown at your feet and call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
    • 19Jeremiah 30:16Nevertheless, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your adversaries—every one of them—will go off into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered, and all who raided you will be raided.
    • 19Zephaniah 3:15The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.
    • 17Psalms 149:4For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.
    • 19Micah 7:10Then my enemy will see and will be covered with shame—she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will see her; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
    • 17Psalms 147:11The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
    • 19Ezekiel 34:16I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’
    • 17Hebrews 7:25Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
    • 17Isaiah 62:4–5No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.
    • 17Jeremiah 32:41Yes, I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.
    • 19Micah 4:6–7“On that day,” declares the LORD, “I will gather the lame; I will assemble the outcast, even those whom I have afflicted.
    • 19Zechariah 2:8–9For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—
    • 19Hebrews 12:13Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
    • 17Deuteronomy 30:9So the LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers,
    • 17Isaiah 65:19I will rejoice in Jerusalem and take delight in My people. The sounds of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her.

    Onward

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    Named hereIsraelEverything the graph connects to this name.BookZephaniahAll 3 chapters.Every bookThe Bible66 books, 1,189 chapters.