Zephaniah 3:12 (ASV)

Passage

But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

Zephaniah 3:11 In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain.

Zephaniah 3:12 But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah.

Zephaniah 3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "leave", "midst", "thee", "afflicted", "poor", "people", "shall", and "take". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "leave" and "midst", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "In that day shalt thou not be..." into verse 13's "The remnant of Israel shall not do...", so "leave" and "midst" belong inside that flow. In Zephaniah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "leave" and "midst" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.