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315 lines
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\id ZEP unfoldingWord Simplified Text
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\ide UTF-8
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\h ZEPHANIAH
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\toc1 The Book of Zephaniah
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\toc2 Zephaniah
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\toc3 Zep
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\mt1 Zephaniah
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\s5
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\c 1
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\p
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\v 1 Yahweh's message came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, whose father was King Hezekiah.
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Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the king of Judah.
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\q1
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\v 2 Yahweh said,
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\q2 "I will sweep away everything that is on the earth.
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\q1
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\v 3 I will sweep away people and animals.
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\q2 I will sweep away birds and fish.
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\q1 I will get rid of wicked people;
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\q2 so that there will be no more wicked people on the earth."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 4 "These are some of the things that I will do:
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\q2 I will punish the people who live in Jerusalem and other places in Judah,
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\q2 and destroy everything that has been used in the worship of Baal and
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\q1 and cause people to no longer remember the names of the pagan priests
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\q2 or the other priests who have turned away from me.
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\q1
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\v 5 I will get rid of those who go up on the roofs of their houses and worship the sun, moon, and stars,
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\q2 and those who claim to worship me but also swear using the name of their king.
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\q1
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\v 6 Finally, I will get rid of all those who previously worshiped me but no longer do;
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\q2 those who no longer seek my help or request me to tell them what they should do."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 7 Be silent in front of Yahweh the Lord,
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\q2 because it will soon be the time when Yahweh will judge and punish people.
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\q1 Yahweh has prepared himself to get rid of the people of Judah;
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\q2 they will be like animals that are set apart to be slaughtered for sacrifices,
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\q2 and he has chosen their enemies to be the ones who will get rid of them.
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\q1
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\v 8 Yahweh says, "On that day when I will get rid of the people of Judah,
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\q2 I will punish their officials and the king's sons,
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\q2 and all those who worship foreign gods—
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\q1
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\v 9 including those who show that they revere their god Dagan by avoiding stepping on the threshold of his temple,
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\q2 and those who do violent things and tell lies in the temples of their gods."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 10 Yahweh also says,
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\q2 "On that day, people will cry out at the Fish Gate of Jerusalem.
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\q1 People will wail in the Second Quarter of the city,
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\q2 and people will hear a loud crash of buildings collapsing in the hills.
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\q1
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\v 11 All you people who live in the market area of Jerusalem should wail,
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\q2 because all those who sell goods for money will be slaughtered.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 12 It will be as though I will light lanterns to search in dark places in Jerusalem
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\q2 for those who have become very satisfied with their behavior and complacent about their sins.
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\q1 They think that I, Yahweh, will do neither good nor bad things, as if I do not even exist!
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\q1
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\v 13 So I have decided that armies will come and carry off their valuable possessions,
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\q2 after destroying their houses.
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\q1 The people will build new homes,
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\q2 but they will not live in them;
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\q1 they will plant vineyards again,
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\q2 but they will never drink any wine made from grapes that grow."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 14 It will soon be the day when Yahweh will punish people.
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\q2 It will be here quickly.
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\q1 It will be a time when even brave soldiers will cry loudly.
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\q1
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\v 15 It will be a time when God shows that he is very angry,
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\q2 a time when people experience much distress and trouble.
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\q1 It will be a time when many things are ruined, destroyed, and when everyone goes away.
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\q2 It will be a time when it is very gloomy and dark,
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\q2 when the clouds are very black.
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\q1
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\v 16 It will be a time when soldiers will blow trumpets to call other soldiers to battle.
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\q2 Your enemies will tear down the walls around your cities
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\q2 and the high towers at the corners of those walls.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 17 Because you sinned against Yahweh,
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\q2 he will cause you to experience great distress;
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\q2 you will walk around groping as blind people do.
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\q1 Your blood will flow from your bodies like falling soil,
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\q2 and your corpses will lie on the ground and rot.
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\q1
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\v 18 At the time that Yahweh shows that he is very angry with you,
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\q2 you will not be able to save yourselves
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\q2 by giving silver or gold to your enemies.
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\q1 Because Yahweh is very jealous,
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\q2 he will send a fire to burn up the entire world,
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\q1 and he will completely get rid, in a most terrifying way, of all the wicked people who live on the earth.
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\s5
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\c 2
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\q1
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\v 1 You people of Judah who ought to be ashamed,
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\q2 gather together to ask for God to merciful to you.
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\q1
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\v 2 Yahweh is very angry with you,
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\q2 so gather together now,
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\q1 before he punishes you—before he punishes you
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\q2 and sweeps you away as the wind blows away the chaff.
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\q1
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\v 3 All you people in Judah who are humble,
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\q2 worship Yahweh and obey what he has commanded.
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\q1 Try to do what is right
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\q2 and to be humble.
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\q1 If you do that, perhaps Yahweh will protect you
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\q2 on the day when he punishes people.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 4 When Yahweh punishes Philistia,
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\q2 the cities of Gaza and Ashkelon will lose all their inhabitants.
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\q1 Ashdod will be attacked and the people will be driven away at noon, when they are resting.
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\q2 The people of the city of Ekron will also be driven out.
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\q1
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\v 5 And terrible things will happen to you people of Philistia who live near the sea,
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\q2 because Yahweh has said he will punish you, also.
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\q1 He will get rid of all of you; not one of you will survive!
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 6 The land of Philistia near the sea will become a pasture,
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\q2 a place for shepherds and their sheep pens.
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\q1
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\v 7 The people of Judah who survive will possess that land.
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\q2 At night they will sleep in the deserted houses in Ashkelon.
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\q1 Yahweh will take care of them;
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\q2 he will enable them to prosper again.
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\s5
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\p
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\v 8 Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, the God of the Israelites, says this:
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\q1 "I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon
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\q1 insult my people and plan to conquer my people's country.
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\q1
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\v 9 So now, as surely as I live, I will destroy Moab and Ammon
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\q2 as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
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\q1 Their land will be a place where there are nettles and salt pits;
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\q2 it will be ruined forever, with none of their people living there!
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\q1 My people who survive will take away all their valuable possessions
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\q2 and also occupy their land."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 10 The people of Moab and Ammon will get what they deserve for being proud,
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\q2 because they made fun of the people who belong to Yahweh, commander of the angel armies.
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\q1
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\v 11 Yahweh will cause them to be terrified
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\q2 when he destroys all the gods of their countries.
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\q1 Then people from every nation will worship Yahweh,
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\q2 each in his own country.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 12 Yahweh says that he will also slaughter the people of Ethiopia.
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\q1
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\v 13 Yahweh will punish and destroy Assyria,
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\q2 that land northeast of us, and cause its capital Nineveh
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\q2 to become ruined and deserted, and as dry as the desert.
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\q1
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\v 14 Flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and many kinds of wild animals will lie down there.
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\q2 Owls and crows will sit on the columns of the destroyed buildings,
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\q1 and they will hoot through the windows.
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\q1 There will be rubble in the doorways,
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\q2 and the valuable cedar beams in the roofs of the buildings will become visible.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 15 The people of Nineveh used to be happy and proud,
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\q2 thinking that they were very safe.
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\q1 They were always saying,
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\q1 "Our city is the greatest city;
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\q2 there is no city as great as ours!"
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\q1 But now it will become a horrible place to see,
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\q2 a place where wild animals make their dens.
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\q1 And everyone who passes by there will hiss and scorn that city,
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\q2 and shake their fists to show that they detest that city very much.
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\s5
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\c 3
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\q1
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\v 1 Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem,
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\q2 the city whose people have rebelled against Yahweh
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\q1 and who have become unacceptable to him because of the sins that they have committed.
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\q2 They act violently toward others and they oppress other people.
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\q1
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\v 2 The people there pay no attention to the prophets whom Yahweh has sent to tell them the wrong things that they are doing
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\q2 and try to correct them.
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\q1 The people in Jerusalem do not trust in their God or worship him.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 3 Their leaders are like roaring lions;
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\q2 they are like wolves that attack during the evening,
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\q2 and eat everything that they kill,
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\q2 with the result that the next morning there is nothing left of those animals to eat.
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\q1
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\v 4 The prophets in Jerusalem are proud,
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\q2 and the priests give messages that no one should trust.
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\q1 They make the temple unholy by doing things that are against the law of Moses.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 5 But Yahweh is also in the city, and he never does what is wrong.
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\q1 He treats people justly, day after day;
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\q2 but wicked people are never ashamed about their wrongdoing.
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\s5
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\p
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\v 6 Yahweh says this:
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\q1 "I have destroyed many nations;
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\q2 I have destroyed their strong city walls and towers.
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\q1 Now I have caused the streets in those cities to be completely deserted.
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\q2 Those cities are ruined and there is no one still alive there.
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\q2 They are all dead.
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\q1
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\v 7 So I said to myself,
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\q2 'Because of what I have done to those other nations,
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\q2 surely the people of Jerusalem will honor me now
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\q2 and allow me to correct them.
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\q1 If they do that, I will not destroy them;
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\q2 I will not punish them like I said that I would do.'
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\q1 But in spite of knowing how I punished those other nations,
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\q2 they were still eager to get up early each morning
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\q2 and continue to perform evil deeds."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 8 This is what Yahweh declares:
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\q2 "Wait for the day when I will take action to plunder you!
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\q1 I have decided to gather the people of the kingdoms of the earth
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\q2 and cause them to know that I am very angry with them.
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\q1 All over the earth I will punish and destroy people;
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\q2 I will burn them up with my anger as if it were fire!
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 9 When that happens, I will cause all people to be changed
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\q2 and enable them to speak only what is pure,
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\q2 in order that everyone can worship me as one people.
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\q1
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\v 10 Then my people who were forced to go to other countries, those who live along the upper part of the Nile River in Ethiopia,
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\q2 will come to me and bring offerings to me.
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\q1
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\v 11 At that time, you people in Jerusalem will no longer be ashamed about what has happened to you,
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\q2 because you no longer will be rebelling against me.
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\q1 I will get rid of all the people among you who are very proud.
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\q2 No one on Zion, my holy hill, will strut around proudly anymore.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 12 Those who are still alive in Israel will be poor and humble;
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\q2 they will trust in me.
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\q1
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\v 13 Those people who are still alive in Israel will not do anything wrong;
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\q2 they will tell no lies or deceive anyone.
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\q1 They will eat and sleep safely,
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\q2 because no one will cause them to be afraid."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 14 You people who live in Jerusalem and other places in Israel,
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\q2 sing and shout loudly!
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\q1 Be glad, and rejoice with all your inner being,
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\q1
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\v 15 because Yahweh will take away the charges against you,
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\q2 and he will make your enemies go enemies far away from you!
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\q1 Yahweh himself, the king of the Israelites, will live among you,
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\q2 and you will never again be afraid that others will harm you.
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\q1
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\v 16 At that time, other people will say to us people of Jerusalem,
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\q2 "You people of Jerusalem, do not be afraid; do not become weak or discouraged."
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 17 Yahweh your God will live among you.
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\q2 He is mighty, and he will rescue you.
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\q1 He will be very happy about you;
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\q2 because he loves you, he will cause you to rest without being anxious.
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\q2 He will sing loudly to rejoice about you,
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\q1
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\v 18 like people who are happy at a festival. Yahweh says, "I will no longer allow any enemies to destroy you. You will no longer be defeated or ashamed.
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\s5
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\q1
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\v 19 Truly, I will severely punish all those who oppressed you.
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\q2 I will rescue those who are helpless and those who were forced to go to other countries, just as a shepherd would rescue his lost sheep.
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\q2 I will give them praise and honor in every country where they were exiled,
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\q2 places where they had been disgraced.
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\q1
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\v 20 At that time, I will gather you together and bring you back home to Israel.
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\q1 I will cause you to greatly praised and honored
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\q2 among all the nations of the earth.
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\q1 You will see when I bring your people home again."
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\q2 This is what Yahweh, has declared!
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