I will strike(A) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.(B)

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“I will sweep away both man and beast;(A)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky(B)
    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,”(C)
declares the Lord,(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

Because of this the land dries up,(A)
    and all who live in it waste away;(B)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
    and the fish in the sea are swept away.(C)

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21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments(A)—sword(B) and famine(C) and wild beasts and plague(D)—to kill its men and their animals!(E)

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19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath(A) on it through bloodshed,(B) killing its people and their animals,(C)

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17 “Or if I bring a sword(A) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,(B)

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13 “Son of man, if a country sins(A) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply(B) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,(C)

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12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate(A) and without people or animals(B)—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.(C)

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24 “See how the siege ramps(A) are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague,(B) the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said(C) has happened,(D) as you now see.

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Yet you know me, Lord;
    you see me and test(A) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(B) to be butchered!
    Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(C)
How long will the land lie parched(D)
    and the grass in every field be withered?(E)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
    the animals and birds have perished.(F)
Moreover, the people are saying,
    “He will not see what happens to us.”

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11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”(A)

And he answered:

“Until the cities lie ruined(B)
    and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted(C)
    and the fields ruined and ravaged,(D)

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24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled(A) on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

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12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(A)
    the temple(B) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(C)

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29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate(A) waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’(B)

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27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.(A)

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16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(A)

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15 Outside is the sword;
    inside are plague and famine.
Those in the country
    will die by the sword;
those in the city
    will be devoured by famine and plague.(A)

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12 A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds(A) and pursue with drawn sword.(B)

13 “Then my anger will cease and my wrath(C) against them will subside, and I will be avenged.(D) And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal.(E)

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22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine(A) and plague(B) in the place where you want to go to settle.”(C)

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29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it(A) both man and beast?”(B)

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17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,(A) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague(B) and famine.(C) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.(D)

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12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(A) though they offer burnt offerings(B) and grain offerings,(C) I will not accept(D) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(E) famine(F) and plague.”(G)

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20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(A) Lord says: My anger(B) and my wrath will be poured(C) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.(D)

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The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth(A)
    and devastate(B) it;
he will ruin its face
    and scatter(C) its inhabitants—
it will be the same
    for priest as for people,(D)
    for the master as for his servant,
    for the mistress as for her servant,
    for seller as for buyer,(E)
    for borrower as for lender,
    for debtor as for creditor.(F)
The earth will be completely laid waste(G)
    and totally plundered.(H)
The Lord has spoken(I) this word.

The earth dries up(J) and withers,(K)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens(L) languish with the earth.(M)
The earth is defiled(N) by its people;
    they have disobeyed(O) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.(P)
Therefore a curse(Q) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,(R)
    and very few are left.

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So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth(A) the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.(B)

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