Passage
Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow.
Zephaniah 3:3 (ASV)
Nearby Context
Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city!
Zephaniah 3:2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God.
Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow.
Zephaniah 3:4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
Zephaniah 3:5 Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "princes", "midst", "roaring", "lions", "judges", "evening", "wolves", and "leave". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "midst", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 2's "She obeyed not the voice she received..." into verse 4's "Her prophets are light and treacherous persons...", so "princes" 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 "princes" and "midst" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.