Zephaniah 3:1 bbe — Sorrow to her who is uncontrolled and unclean, the cruel town!

Zephaniah 3:1 in the Bible in Basic English reads: “Sorrow to her who is uncontrolled and unclean, the cruel town!”

Zephaniah 3:1 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Zephaniah, chapter 3, verse 1.

Zephaniah is traditionally attributed to Zephaniah, a descendant of king Hezekiah. It was written c. 640–625 BC.

Zephaniah opens with the most thoroughgoing judgment language in the Minor Prophets — a coming day of the LORD against the whole earth — and ends with the LORD himself singing over his redeemed remnant.

Zephaniah explores themes including Day of the LORD, Judgment, Remnant, Joy, Restoration. These themes shape the meaning and context of Zephaniah 3:1.

Zephaniah 3:1 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.

Zephaniah 3:1 reads (BBE): “Sorrow to her who is uncontrolled and unclean, the cruel town!” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.