The Book of
Zephaniah
1
1 The
LORD’s
word which came
to Zephaniah, the
son of Cushi,
the son of
Gedaliah, the son
of Amariah, the
son of Hezekiah,
in the days
of Josiah, the
son of Amon, king
of Judah.
2 I
will utterly sweep away
everything from
the surface of
the earth, says
the LORD.
3 I
will sweep away man
and animal. I
will sweep away the
birds of the
sky, the fish
of the sea,
and the heaps
of rubble with the
wicked. I will
cut off man
from the surface
of the earth,
says the LORD.
4 I
will stretch out
my hand against
Judah and against
all the
inhabitants of
Jerusalem. I will
cut off the
remnant of Baal
from this place—the
name of the
idolatrous and pagan
priests,
5 those
who worship the
army of the
sky on the
housetops, those
who worship and
swear by the
LORD and also
swear by Malcam,
6 those who
have turned back
from following the
LORD, and those
who haven’t sought
the LORD nor
inquired after him.
7 Be
silent at the
presence of the
Lord
GOD, for the
day of the
LORD is at
hand. For the
LORD has prepared
a sacrifice. He
has consecrated
his guests.
8 It
will happen in
the day of
the LORD’s
sacrifice that I
will punish the
princes, the king’s
sons, and all
those who are
clothed with
foreign clothing.
9 In
that day, I
will punish all
those who leap
over the threshold,
who fill
their master’s house
with violence and
deceit.
10 In
that day, says
the LORD, there
will be the
noise of a
cry from the
fish gate, a
wailing from the
second quarter, and
a great crashing
from the hills.
11 Wail,
you inhabitants of
Maktesh, for all
the people of
Canaan are undone!
All those who
were loaded with
silver are cut
off.
12 It
will happen at
that time, that
I will search
Jerusalem with
lamps, and I
will punish the
men who are
settled on their
dregs, who say in
their heart, “The
LORD will not
do good, neither
will he do
evil.”
13 Their
wealth will become
a plunder, and
their houses a
desolation. Yes, they
will build houses,
but won’t inhabit
them. They will
plant vineyards,
but won’t drink
their wine.
14 The
great day of
the LORD is
near. It is
near and hurries
greatly, the voice
of the day
of the LORD.
The mighty man
cries there
bitterly.
15 That
day is a
day of wrath,
a day of
distress and
anguish, a day
of trouble
and ruin, a day
of darkness and
gloom, a day
of clouds
and blackness,
16 a
day of the
trumpet and alarm
against the
fortified cities
and against the
high battlements.
17 I
will bring such
distress on men
that they will
walk like blind
men because they
have sinned
against the LORD.
Their blood will
be poured out
like dust and
their flesh like
dung.
18 Neither
their silver nor
their gold will
be able to
deliver them in
the day of
the LORD’s wrath,
but the whole land
will be devoured
by the fire of
his jealousy; for
he will make
an end, yes,
a terrible end,
of all those
who dwell in
the land.