| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1The filthy, stained city is as good as dead; the city filled with oppressors is finished! | 1What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime! |
| 2She is disobedient; she refuses correction. She does not trust the LORD; she does not seek the advice of her God. | 2No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the LORD or draw near to its God. |
| 3Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions; her rulers are as hungry as wolves in the desert, who completely devour their prey by morning. | 3Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey. |
| 4Her prophets are proud; they are deceitful men. Her priests defile what is holy; they break God's laws. | 4Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions. |
| 5The 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. | 5But the LORD is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail. But the wicked know no shame. |
| 6"I destroyed nations; their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them. Their cities are desolate; no one lives there. | 6“I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin. There are no survivors— none at all. |
| 7I thought, 'Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!' If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did. | 7I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won’t need to strike again, destroying their homes.’ But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds. |
| 8Therefore you must wait patiently for me," says the LORD, "for the day when I attack and take plunder. I have decided to gather nations together and assemble kingdoms, so I can pour out my fury on them--all my raging anger. For the whole earth will be consumed by my fiery anger. | 8Therefore, be patient,” says the LORD. “Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations. For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them. All the earth will be devoured by the fire of my jealousy. |
| 9Know for sure that I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable praise. All of them will invoke the LORD's name when they pray, and will worship him in unison. | 9“Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the LORD together. |
| 10From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, those who pray to me will bring me tribute. | 10My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings. |
| 11In that day you will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me, for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill. | 11On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain. |
| 12I will leave in your midst a humble and meek group of people, and they will find safety in the LORD's presence. | 12Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the LORD. |
| 13The Israelites who remain will not act deceitfully. They will not lie, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth. Indeed, they will graze peacefully like sheep and lie down; no one will terrify them." | 13The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will never tell lies or deceive one another. They will eat and sleep in safety, and no one will make them afraid.” |
| 14Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! Shout out, Israel! Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! | 14Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! |
| 15The LORD has removed the judgment against you; he has turned back your enemy. Israel's king, the LORD, is in your midst! You no longer need to fear disaster. | 15For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. |
| 16On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Don't be afraid, Zion! Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic! | 16On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! |
| 17The LORD your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you." | 17For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” |
| 18"As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals--I took them away from you; they became tribute and were a source of shame to you. | 18“I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more. |
| 19Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you. I will rescue the lame sheep and gather together the scattered sheep. I will take away their humiliation and make the whole earth admire and respect them. | 19And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed. |
| 20At that time I will lead you--at the time I gather you together. Be sure of this! I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you when you see me restore you," says the LORD. | 20On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction, among all the nations of the earth, as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the LORD, have spoken!” |
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