Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations

1Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
         The tyrannical city!

2She heeded no voice,
         She accepted no instruction.
         She did not trust in the LORD,
         She did not draw near to her God.

3Her princes within her are roaring lions,
         Her judges are wolves at evening;
         They leave nothing for the morning.

4Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;
         Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
         They have done violence to the law.

5The LORD is righteous within her;
         He will do no injustice.
         Every morning He brings His justice to light;
         He does not fail.
         But the unjust knows no shame.

6“I have cut off nations;
         Their corner towers are in ruins.
         I have made their streets desolate,
         With no one passing by;
         Their cities are laid waste,
         Without a man, without an inhabitant.

7“I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me,
         Accept instruction.’
         So her dwelling will not be cut off
         According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
         But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

8“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD,
         “For the day when I rise up as a witness.
         Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
         To assemble kingdoms,
         To pour out on them My indignation,
         All My burning anger;
         For all the earth will be devoured
         By the fire of My zeal.

9“For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
         That all of them may call on the name of the LORD,
         To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10“From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
         My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
         Will bring My offerings.

11“In that day you will feel no shame
         Because of all your deeds
         By which you have rebelled against Me;
         For then I will remove from your midst
         Your proud, exulting ones,
         And you will never again be haughty
         On My holy mountain.

A Remnant of Israel

12“But I will leave among you
         A humble and lowly people,
         And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.

13“The remnant of Israel will do no wrong
         And tell no lies,
         Nor will a deceitful tongue
         Be found in their mouths;
         For they will feed and lie down
         With no one to make them tremble.”

14Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
         Shout in triumph, O Israel!
         Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
         O daughter of Jerusalem!

15The LORD has taken away His judgments against you,
         He has cleared away your enemies.
         The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
         You will fear disaster no more.

16In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
         “Do not be afraid, O Zion;
         Do not let your hands fall limp.

17“The LORD your God is in your midst,
         A victorious warrior.
         He will exult over you with joy,
         He will be quiet in His love,
         He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

18“I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts—
         They came from you, O Zion;
         The reproach of exile is a burden on them.

19“Behold, I am going to deal at that time
         With all your oppressors,
         I will save the lame
         And gather the outcast,
         And I will turn their shame into praise and renown
         In all the earth.

20“At that time I will bring you in,
         Even at the time when I gather you together;
         Indeed, I will give you renown and praise
         Among all the peoples of the earth,
         When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
         Says the LORD.

NASB ©1995

American Standard Version
Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Woe to the provoking, and redeemed city, the dove.

Darby Bible Translation
Woe to her that is rebellious and corrupted, to the oppressing city!

English Revised Version
Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city!

Webster's Bible Translation
Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

World English Bible
Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city!

Young's Literal Translation
Woe to the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city!Zion's Joy and God's
'Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.... 17. He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.'--ZEPHANIAH iii. 14, 17. What a wonderful rush of exuberant gladness there is in these words! The swift, short clauses, the triple invocation in the former verse, the triple promise in the latter, the heaped together synonyms, all help the impression. The very words seem to dance with joy. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Sermon for the Time Present
I am going to begin with the last verse of the text, and work my way upwards. The first; head is, a trying day for God's people. They are sorrowful because a cloud is upon their solemn assembly, and the reproach thereof is a burden. Secondly, we will note a glorious ground of consolation. We read in the seventeenth verse, "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." And, thirdly, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 33: 1887

The Song of his Joy
"He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."--Zeph. iii. 17. T. P. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Wondrous joy, Thy joy, Lord Jesus, Deep, eternal, pure, and bright-- Thou alone the Man of Sorrows, Thus couldst tell of joy aright. Lord, we know that joy, that gladness, Which in fulness Thou hast given-- Sharing all that countless treasure, We on earth with Thee in Heaven. ... Even as He went before us Through the wilderness below. …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

A vision of the King.
ONE of the most blessed occupations for the believer is the prayerful searching of God's holy Word to discover there new glories and fresh beauties of Him, who is altogether lovely. Shall we ever find out all which the written Word reveals of Himself and His worthiness? This wonderful theme can never be exhausted. The heart which is devoted to Him and longs through the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be closer to the Lord, to hear and know more of Himself, will always find something …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The Mystery
Of the Woman dwelling in the Wilderness. The woman delivered of a child, when the dragon was overcome, from thenceforth dwelt in the wilderness, by which is figured the state of the Church, liberated from Pagan tyranny, to the time of the seventh trumpet, and the second Advent of Christ, by the type, not of a latent, invisible, but, as it were, an intermediate condition, like that of the lsraelitish Church journeying in the wilderness, from its departure from Egypt, to its entrance into the land …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse

The Angel's Message and Song
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the LORD came upon them, and the glory of the LORD shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD . And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Manasseh and Josiah
The kingdom of Judah, prosperous throughout the times of Hezekiah, was once more brought low during the long years of Manasseh's wicked reign, when paganism was revived, and many of the people were led into idolatry. "Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen." 2 Chronicles 33:9. The glorious light of former generations was followed by the darkness of superstition and error. Gross evils sprang up and flourished--tyranny, oppression, hatred of all …
Ellen Gould White—The Story of Prophets and Kings

Love
The rule of obedience being the moral law, comprehended in the Ten Commandments, the next question is: What is the sum of the Ten Commandments? The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and our neighbour as ourselves. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.' Deut 6: 5. The duty called for is love, yea, the strength of love, with all …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

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