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The Great Day of the Lord

14 The great day of the Lord is near,
    near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the warrior cries aloud there.(A)
15 That day will be a day of wrath,
    a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
    a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,(B)
16     a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
    and against the lofty battlements.

17 I will bring such distress upon people
    that they shall walk like the blind;
    because they have sinned against the Lord,
their blood shall be poured out like dust
    and their flesh like dung.(C)
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath;
in the fire of his passion
    the whole earth shall be consumed,
for a full, a terrible end
    he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.(D)

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Zephaniah’s Description of the Day of the Lord

14 “The great Day of the Lord approaches—
    How it comes, hurrying faster and faster!
The sound of the Day of the Lord there
    includes the bitter cry of the mighty soldier.
15 That day will be filled with wrath,
    a day of trouble and tribulation,
a day of desolation and devastation,
    a day of doom and gloom,
a day of clouds and shadows,[a]
16 a day of trumpet and battle cry
        against fortified cities and watch[b] towers.

17 “And I’ll bring so much distress to people
    that they will walk around like the blind.
Because they have sinned against the Lord,
    their blood will be poured out like dust
        and their intestines will spill out[c] like manure.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will deliver them
    in the Day of the Lord’s wrath;
but the entire land will be consumed
    by the fire of his jealousy,
for he will bring the inhabitants of the land to a sudden end.”

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:15 Cf. Joel 2:2a
  2. Zephaniah 1:16 Lit. corner
  3. Zephaniah 1:17 The Heb. lacks will spill out