Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Zephaniah 3:10

From across the rivers of Ethiopia, my scattered people, my true worshipers, will bring offerings to me.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Cush;   Ethiopia;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cush;   Ethiopia;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Zephaniah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Cush;   Gentiles;   Zephaniah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Zephaniah (1);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Egypt;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bring;   Cush (1);   Eschatology of the Old Testament (with Apocryphal and Apocalyptic Writings);   Ethiopia;   River;   Zephaniah, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ethiopia;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
From beyond the rivers of Cushmy supplicants, my dispersed people,will bring an offering to me.
Hebrew Names Version
From beyond the rivers of Kush, my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed people, will bring my offering.
King James Version (1611)
From beyond the riuers of Ethiopia, my suppliants, euen the daughter of my dispersed shal bring mine offring.
King James Version
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
English Standard Version
From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.
New American Standard Bible
"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings.
New Century Version
People will come from where the Nile River begins; my scattered people will come with gifts for me.
Amplified Bible
"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, [the descendants of] My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings.
Geneva Bible (1587)
From beyonde the riuers of Ethiopia, the daughter of my dispersed, praying vnto me, shall bring me an offering.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings.
Legacy Standard Bible
From beyond the rivers of EthiopiaMy worshipers, My scattered ones,Will bring My offerings.
Berean Standard Bible
From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.
Complete Jewish Bible
Even from beyond Ethiopia's rivers they will bring those who petition me, the daughter of my dispersed as my offering.
Darby Translation
From beyond the rivers of Cush my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine oblation.
Easy-to-Read Version
People will come all the way from the other side of the river in Ethiopia. My scattered people will come to me. My worshipers will come and bring their gifts to me.
George Lamsa Translation
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia they shall bring me sacrifices.
Good News Translation
Even from distant Ethiopia my scattered people will bring offerings to me.
Lexham English Bible
From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers and the daughter of my scattered ones shall bring my offering.
Literal Translation
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, My worshipers, the daughter of My scattered ones, shall bring My food offering.
American Standard Version
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
Bible in Basic English
From over the rivers of Ethiopia, and from the sides of the north, they will come to me with an offering.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia shall they bring My suppliants, even the daughter of My dispersed, as Mine offering.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
From beyonde the riuers of Ethiopia, the daughter of my dispearsed prayng vnto me, shall bring me an offering.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
From the boundaries of the rivers of Ethiopia will I receive my dispersed ones; they shall offer sacrifices to me.
English Revised Version
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
World English Bible
From beyond the rivers of Cush, my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed people, will bring my offering.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ouer the floodis of Ethiopie, fro thens my bisecheris, the sones of my scaterid men, schulen brynge yifte to me.
Update Bible Version
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring my offering.
Webster's Bible Translation
From beyond the rivers of Cush my suppliants, [even] the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring my offering.
New English Translation
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, those who pray to me will bring me tribute.
New King James Version
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, The daughter of My dispersed ones, Shall bring My offering.
New Living Translation
My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings.
New Life Bible
Those who worship Me and have been driven away will bring My gifts in worship from the other side of the rivers of Ethiopia.
New Revised Standard
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, my scattered ones, shall bring my offering.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, shall come my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bear along a gift for me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, shall my suppliants, the children of my dispersed people, bring me an offering.
Revised Standard Version
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.
Young's Literal Translation
From beyond the rivers of Cush, my supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Do bring My present.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Soch as I haue subdued, and my children also whom I haue scatred abrode, shal brynge me presentes beyonde the waters of Ethiopia.

Contextual Overview

8 The Lord said: Just wait for the day when I accuse you nations. I have decided on a day, when I will bring together every nation and kingdom and punish them all in my fiery anger. I will become furious and destroy the earth. 9 I will purify each language and make those languages acceptable for praising me. Then, with hearts united, everyone will serve only me, the Lord . 10 From across the rivers of Ethiopia, my scattered people, my true worshipers, will bring offerings to me. 11 When that time comes, you won't rebel against me and be put to shame. I'll do away with those who are proud and arrogant. Never will any of them strut around on my holy mountain. 12 But I, the Lord , won't destroy any of your people who are truly humble and turn to me for safety. 13 The people of Israel who survive will live right and refuse to tell lies. They will eat and rest with nothing to fear.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 68:31, Psalms 72:8-11, Isaiah 11:11, Isaiah 18:1, 7-19:15, Isaiah 27:12, Isaiah 27:13, Isaiah 49:20-23, Isaiah 60:4-12, Isaiah 66:18-21, Malachi 1:11, Acts 8:27, Acts 24:17, Romans 11:11, Romans 11:12, Romans 15:16, 1 Peter 1:1

Reciprocal: Isaiah 11:12 - shall assemble Isaiah 18:7 - shall the Isaiah 19:21 - and shall Micah 4:1 - and people John 7:35 - the dispersed Acts 13:47 - that thou Revelation 11:15 - The kingdoms

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.
Genesis 3:7
Right away they saw what they had done, and they realized they were naked. Then they sewed fig leaves together to make something to cover themselves.
Genesis 3:17
The Lord said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did. As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow enough food.
Genesis 3:18
Your food will be plants, but the ground will produce thorns and thistles.
Exodus 3:6
I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face.
Exodus 32:25
Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies.
Job 23:15
Merely the thought of God All-Powerful
Psalms 119:120
I tremble all over when I think of you and the way you judge.
Isaiah 33:14
Those terrible sinners on Mount Zion tremble as they ask in fear, "How can we possibly live where a raging fire never stops burning?"
Isaiah 47:3
You will suffer the shame of going naked, because I will take revenge, and no one can escape.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,.... Either the African Ethiopia, or Arabia Chusea, which lay between Judea and Egypt: here some particular places and people are mentioned, in whom the preceding prophecy would be fulfilled. If these rivers of Ethiopia are such as ran in the midst of the country, and so point at some parts of it, though on the other side of them, then this prophecy might have its accomplishment, at least when the Evangelist Matthew went thither, and preached the Gospel, and very likely the Apostle Paul; as also when the Ethiopian eunuch was converted, who doubtless did what in him lay to promote the interest of Christ in those parts. Ben Melech makes this parallel with and illustrates it by Isaiah 18:1,

Isaiah 18:1- :,

Isaiah 18:1- :; but if these design rivers on the furthermost borders of the country, which divided it from others, then Egypt, which lay beyond it, seems to be intended; and so the prophecy, in connection with the foregoing verse Zephaniah 3:9, is the same with Isaiah 19:18 "in that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan"; of these rivers of Ethiopia, whether in Africa or Arabia Chusea,

Isaiah 19:18- :. The Targum renders it

"beyond the rivers of India:''

my suppliants, [even] the daughter of my dispersed: Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Abarbinel, and Ben Melech, take the words "Atharai Bathpusai" to be the proper name of a nation or family beyond the rivers of Ethiopia l; whereas they are characters which describe persons there, who should have the pure language turned to them, and call on the name of the Lord; even such, who, being made sensible of sin, and of their danger, would be humble supplicants at the throne of grace, and pray to the Lord for the discovery and application of pardoning grace and mercy to them, agreeably to the prophecy in Psalms 68:31 "princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God"; that is, in prayer: and these are the sons and daughters of the Almighty, who are scattered abroad in the several parts of the world, and among the rest here; but as they are gathered together by Christ in redemption, so they are found out and reached by efficacious grace in calling, whether Jews or Gentiles. Some think the Jews are here meant, even the elect of God among them, who were dispersed in several nations, and particularly in Egypt and Ethiopia; who were met with by the Gospel, and converted in the first times of it; to these Peter and James direct their epistles: and of whom, being called by grace, it is said, they

shall bring mine offering; themselves as an offering to the Lord, souls and bodies, with all other spiritual sacrifices of prayer, praise, and well doing; and likewise such persons they may be the instruments of the conversion of, called the offering of the Gentiles,

Romans 15:16.

l So Menasseh ben Israel. Spes Israelis, p. 57.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia - (See Isaiah 18:1.) The farthest southern people, with whom the Jews had contact, stand as the type of the whole world beyond. The utmost bound of the known inhabited land should not be the bound of the Gospel. The conversion of Abyssinia is one, but the narrowest fulfillment of the prophecy. The whole new world, though not in the mind of the prophet, was in the mind of Him who spake by the prophet.

My suppliants - He names them as what they shall be when they shall come to Him. They shall come, as needy, to the Fountain of all good, asking for mercy of the unfailing Source of all mercy. He describes the very character of all who come to God through Christ. “The daughter of My dispersed.” God is, in the way of Providence, the Father of all, although, by sin, alienated from Him; from where Paul says, “we are the offspring of God” Acts 17:28. They were “dispersed,” severed from the oneness in Him and from His house and family; yet still, looking on them as already belonging to Him, He calls them, “My dispersed,” as by Caiaphas, being high priest, He prophesied that “Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” John 11:51-52.

Shall bring Mine offering - o The offering is the same as that which Malachi prophesies shall continue under the New Testament, which offering was to be offered to the Name of God, not in Jerusalem, but Malachi 1:11 “in every place from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same.” The dark skin of the Ethiopian is the image of ingrained sin, which man could not efface or change Jeremiah 13:23 : their conversion then declares how those steeped in sin shall be cleansed from all their darkness of mind, and washed white from their sins in Baptism and beautified by the grace of God. Cyril: “The word of prophecy endeth in truth. For not only through the Roman empire is the Gospel preached, but it circles round the barbarous nations. And there are Churches everywhere, shepherds and teachers, guides and instructors in mysteries, and sacred altars, and the Lamb is invisibly sacrificed by holy priests among Indians too and Ethiopians. And this was said plainly by another prophet also, ‘For I am a great King, saith the Lord, and My Name is great among the pagan, and in every place incense is offered to My Name and a pure sacrifice’ Malachi 1:11.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zephaniah 3:10. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia — This may denote both Africa and the southern Arabia. Bochart thinks that Arabia Chusaer is meant; and that the rivers are Besor, which flows into the Mediterranean; Rhinocorura, which flows into the Lake Sirbonis; Trajanus Amnis, which flows into the Red Sea; and the river Corys. Calmet thinks that these rivers mean the Nile, which by seven mouths falls into the Mediterranean. The Nile comes from Ethiopia, properly so called; and runs through all Egypt, and falls into the sea at that part of Arabia which the Scripture calls Cush or Ethiopia.

My dispersed — The Jews, scattered through different parts of the world. Shall bring mine offering. Shall acknowledge my mercy in sending them the Messiah to bless them, by turning every one of them away from their iniquities.


 
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