Zephaniah 3:1-5

Jerusalem is Corrupt

3:1 The filthy, stained city is as good as dead;

the city filled with oppressors is finished!

3:2 She is disobedient;

she refuses correction.

She does not trust the Lord;

she does not seek the advice of her God.

3:3 Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions;

her rulers are as hungry as wolves in the desert,

who completely devour their prey by morning.

3:4 Her prophets are proud;

they are deceitful men.

Her priests defile what is holy;

they break God’s laws.

3:5 The just Lord resides within her;

he commits no unjust acts.

Every morning he reveals his justice.

At dawn he appears without fail.

Yet the unjust know no shame.