Passage
Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, that leave nothing for the morning.
Zephaniah 3:3 (DBY)
Nearby Context
Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is rebellious and corrupted, to the oppressing city!
Zephaniah 3:2 She hearkened not to the voice; she received not correction; she confided not in Jehovah; she drew not near her God.
Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, that leave nothing for the morning.
Zephaniah 3:4 Her prophets are vain-glorious, treacherous persons; her priests profane the sanctuary, they do violence to the law.
Zephaniah 3:5 The righteous Jehovah is in the midst of her: he doeth no wrong. Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light; it faileth not: but the unrighteous 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 hearkened not to the voice she..." into verse 4's "Her prophets are vain-glorious treacherous persons her...", 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.