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A message from the Lord came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi. Cushi was the son of Gedaliah. Gedaliah was the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of King Hezekiah. The Lord spoke to Zephaniah during the rule of Josiah. He was king of Judah and the son of Amon.

The Lord Will Judge the Whole World

“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”
    announces the Lord.
“I will destroy people and animals alike.
    I will wipe out the birds in the sky
    and the fish in the waters.
I will destroy the statues of gods that cause evil people to sin.
    That will happen when I destroy all human beings on the face of the earth,”
    announces the Lord.
“I will reach out my powerful hand against Judah.
    I will punish all those who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy from this place
    what is left of Baal worship.
The priests who serve other gods
    will be removed.
I will destroy those who bow down on their roofs
    to worship all the stars.
I will destroy those who make promises
    not only in my name but also in the name of Molek.
I will destroy those who stop following the Lord.
    They no longer look to him or ask him for advice.
Be silent in front of him.
    He is the Lord and King.
    The day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice.
    He has set apart for himself
    the people he has invited.
When the Lord’s sacrifice is ready to be offered,
    I will punish the officials and the king’s sons.
I will also judge all those who follow
    the practices of other nations.
At that time I will punish
    all those who worship other gods.
They fill the temples of their gods
    with lies and other harmful things.

10 “At that time people at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem
    will cry out,” announces the Lord.
“So will those at the New Quarter.
    The buildings on the hills will come crashing down
    with a loud noise.
11 Cry out, you who live in the market places.
    All your merchants will be wiped out.
    Those who trade in silver will be destroyed.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps.
    I will punish those who are so contented.
    They are like wine that has not been shaken up.
They think, ‘The Lord won’t do anything.
    He won’t do anything good or bad.’
13 Their wealth will be stolen.
    Their houses will be destroyed.
They will build houses.
    But they will not live in them.
They will plant vineyards.
    But they will not drink the wine they produce.
14 The great day of the Lord is near.
    In fact, it is coming quickly.
The cries on that day are bitter.
    The Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15 At that time I will pour out my anger.
    There will be great suffering and pain.
It will be a day of horrible trouble.
    It will be a time of darkness and gloom.
    It will be filled with the blackest clouds.
16 Trumpet blasts and battle cries will be heard.
    Soldiers will attack cities
    that have forts and corner towers.
17 I will bring great trouble on all people.
    So they will feel their way around like blind people.
    They have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust.
    Their bodies will lie rotting on the ground.
18 Their silver and gold
    won’t save them
    on the day the Lord pours out his anger.
The whole earth will be burned up
    when his jealous anger blazes out.
Everyone who lives on earth
    will come to a sudden end.”

The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah(A) son of Amon(B) king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”(C)
declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away both man and beast;(D)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky(E)
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”[a]

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”(F)
declares the Lord,(G)
“I will stretch out my hand(H) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,(I)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests(J)
those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,(K)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,[b](L)
those who turn back from following(M) the Lord
    and neither seek(N) the Lord nor inquire(O) of him.”

Be silent(P) before the Sovereign Lord,
    for the day of the Lord(Q) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;(R)
    he has consecrated those he has invited.

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
    I will punish(S) the officials
    and the king’s sons(T)
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,[c](U)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.(V)

10 “On that day,(W)
    declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,(X)
    wailing(Y) from the New Quarter,
    and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail,(Z) you who live in the market district[d];
    all your merchants will be wiped out,
    all who trade with[e] silver will be destroyed.(AA)
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,(AB)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,(AC)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,(AD)
    either good or bad.’(AE)
13 Their wealth will be plundered,(AF)
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine.”(AG)

14 The great day of the Lord(AH) is near(AI)
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15 That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness(AJ) and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness(AK)
16     a day of trumpet and battle cry(AL)
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.(AM)

17 “I will bring such distress(AN) on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,(AO)
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out(AP) like dust
    and their entrails like dung.(AQ)
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”(AR)

In the fire of his jealousy(AS)
    the whole earth will be consumed,(AT)
for he will make a sudden end
    of all who live on the earth.(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  2. Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
  3. Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
  4. Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
  5. Zephaniah 1:11 Or in