Zephaniah 1:14-18
Expanded Bible
The Lord’s Day of Judging
14 “The ·Lord’s day of judging [great day of the Lord; 1:7] is ·coming soon [near];
it is near and coming fast.
The cry will be ·very sad [bitter] on the day of the Lord;
·even soldiers will cry [or soldiers will shout a battle cry].
15 That day will be a day of ·anger [wrath],
a day of ·terror [distress] and ·trouble [anguish],
a day of ·destruction [devastation] and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
16 a day of ·alarms [trumpet blasts; L a ram’s horn] and battle cries.
·‘Attack [or …against] the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities!
·Attack [or …against] the corner towers!’
17 I will ·make life hard [bring distress] on ·the people [or humanity];
they will ·walk [grope] around like the blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust,
and their ·insides [flesh] will be dumped like ·trash [refuse; dung].
18 On the day ·that God will show his anger [L of the Lord’s wrath],
neither their silver nor gold will save them.
·The Lord’s anger will be like a fire [L In the fire of his jealousy; Nah. 1:2]
that will ·burn up [consume; devour] the whole world;
suddenly he will bring an end, yes, an end
to ·everyone on [all who live on] earth.”
Zephaniah 1:14-18
Amplified Bible
14
The great [judgment] day of the Lord is near,
Near and coming very quickly.
Listen! The [voice of the] day of the Lord!
The warrior cries out bitterly [unable to fight or to flee].
15
That day is a day of [the outpouring of the] wrath [of God],
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and devastation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,(A)
16
A day of trumpet and the battle cry [of invaders]
Against the fortified cities
And against the high corner towers (battlements).
17
I will bring distress on men
So that they will walk like the blind [unable to find a way of escape],
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
Their blood will be poured out like dust [and trampled underfoot],
And their flesh like dung.
18
Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to rescue them
On the day of the Lord’s indignation and wrath.
And the whole earth will be consumed
In the fire of His jealous [a]wrath,
For He shall make a full and complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.(B)
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:18 God’s judgment and God’s mercy are the twin themes of the prophets. In this dramatic passage, the Lord describes the destruction that will sweep the earth in the day of His wrath. Yet the Lord is true to His promises: the remnant will be restored (Zeph 3:18-20); the last day is also “the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). See also Matt 24:31; John 14:3; 1 Thess 4:15-17.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
