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Habakkuk 1 - Zephaniah 3
New King James Version
Habakkuk 1 - Zephaniah 3
New King James Version
The Prophet Questions God’s Judgments
1 The [a]burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
The Prophet’s Question
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry,
(A)And You will not hear?
Even cry out to You, (B)“Violence!”
And You will (C)not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see [b]trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless,
And justice never goes forth.
For the (D)wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
The Lord’s Reply
5 “Look(E) among the nations and watch—
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6 For indeed I am (F)raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty (G)nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are (H)swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their [c]chargers [d]charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the (I)eagle that hastens to eat.
9 “They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings,
And princes are scorned by them.
They deride every stronghold,
For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
11 Then his [e]mind changes, and he transgresses;
He commits offense,
(J)Ascribing this power to his god.”
The Prophet’s Second Question
12 Are You not (K)from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, (L)You have appointed them for judgment;
O Rock, You have marked them for (M)correction.
13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours
A person more righteous than he?
14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea,
Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?
15 They take up all of them with a hook,
They catch them in their net,
And gather them in their dragnet.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore (N)they sacrifice to their net,
And burn incense to their dragnet;
Because by them their share is [f]sumptuous
And their food plentiful.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net,
And continue to slay nations without pity?
The Just Shall Live by Faith
2 I will (O)stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
The Just Live by Faith
2 Then the Lord answered me and said:
(P)“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 For (Q)the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will (R)not lie.
Though it tarries, (S)wait for it;
Because it will (T)surely come,
It will not tarry.
4 “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the (U)just shall live by his faith.
Woe to the Wicked
5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,
He is a proud man,
And he does not stay at home.
Because he (V)enlarges his desire as [g]hell,
And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied,
He gathers to himself all nations
And heaps up for himself all peoples.
6 “Will not all these (W)take up a proverb against him,
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with [h]many pledges’?
7 Will not [i]your creditors rise up suddenly?
Will they not awaken who oppress you?
And you will become their booty.
8 (X)Because you have plundered many nations,
All the remnant of the people shall plunder you,
Because of men’s [j]blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.
9 “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,
That he may (Y)set his nest on high,
That he may be delivered from the [k]power of disaster!
10 You give shameful counsel to your house,
Cutting off many peoples,
And sin against your soul.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
And the beam from the timbers will answer it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed,
Who establishes a city by iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts
That the peoples labor [l]to feed the fire,
And nations weary themselves in vain?
14 For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,
[m]Pressing him to your (Z)bottle,
Even to make him drunk,
That you may look on [n]his nakedness!
16 You are filled with shame instead of glory.
You also—drink!
And [o]be exposed as uncircumcised!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you,
And utter shame will be on your glory.
17 For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you,
And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid,
Because of men’s blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.
18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,
The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all.
20 “But(AA) the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
The Prophet’s Prayer
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on [p]Shigionoth.
2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman,
The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His glory covered the heavens,
And the earth was full of His praise.
4 His brightness was like the light;
He had rays flashing from His hand,
And there His power was hidden.
5 Before Him went pestilence,
And fever followed at His feet.
6 He stood and measured the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.
(AB)And the everlasting mountains were scattered,
The perpetual hills bowed.
His ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.
8 O Lord, were You displeased with the rivers,
Was Your anger against the rivers,
Was Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
Your chariots of salvation?
9 Your bow was made quite ready;
Oaths were sworn over Your [q]arrows. Selah
You divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and trembled;
The overflowing of the water passed by.
The deep uttered its voice,
And (AC)lifted its hands on high.
11 The (AD)sun and moon stood still in their habitation;
At the light of Your arrows they went,
At the shining of Your glittering spear.
12 You marched through the land in indignation;
You [r]trampled the nations in anger.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For salvation with Your Anointed.
You struck the head from the house of the wicked,
By laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah
14 You thrust through with his own arrows
The head of his villages.
They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me;
Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.
15 (AE)You walked through the sea with Your horses,
Through the heap of great waters.
16 When I heard, (AF)my body trembled;
My lips quivered at the voice;
Rottenness entered my bones;
And I trembled in myself,
That I might rest in the day of trouble.
When he comes up to the people,
He will invade them with his troops.
A Hymn of Faith
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will (AG)rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 [s]The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like (AH)deer’s feet,
And He will make me (AI)walk on my high hills.
To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
The Great Day of the Lord(AJ)
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of (AK)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Great Day of the Lord
2 “I will [t]utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the Lord;
3 “I(AL) will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the [u]stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the [v]land,”
Says the Lord.
4 “I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
[w]I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the (AM)idolatrous[x] priests with the pagan priests—
5 Those (AN)who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord,
But who also swear (AO)by [y]Milcom;
6 (AP)Those who have turned back from following the Lord,
And (AQ)have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.”
7 (AR)Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
(AS)For the day of the Lord is at hand,
For (AT)the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
He has [z]invited His guests.
8 “And it shall be,
In the day of the Lord’s sacrifice,
That I will punish (AU)the princes and the king’s children,
And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
9 In the same day I will punish
All those who (AV)leap over the threshold,
Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10 “And there shall be on that day,” says the Lord,
“The sound of a mournful cry from (AW)the Fish Gate,
A wailing from the Second Quarter,
And a loud crashing from the hills.
11 (AX)Wail, you inhabitants of [aa]Maktesh!
For all the merchant people are cut down;
All those who handle money are cut off.
12 “And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are (AY)settled[ab] in complacency,
(AZ)Who say in their heart,
‘The Lord will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’
13 Therefore their goods shall become booty,
And their houses a desolation;
They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards, but (BA)not drink their wine.”
14 (BB)The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
15 (BC)That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of (BD)trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
17 “I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall (BE)walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse.”
18 (BF)Neither their silver nor their gold
Shall be able to deliver them
In the day of the Lord’s wrath;
But the whole land shall be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land.
A Call to Repentance
2 Gather(BG) yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O [ac]undesirable nation,
2 Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!
3 (BH)Seek the Lord, (BI)all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
(BJ)It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.
Judgment on Nations
4 For (BK)Gaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod (BL)at noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of (BM)the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O (BN)Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you;
So there shall be no inhabitant.”
6 The seacoast shall be pastures,
With [ad]shelters for shepherds (BO)and folds for flocks.
7 The coast shall be for (BP)the remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;
In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God will (BQ)intervene[ae] for them,
And (BR)return their captives.
8 “I(BS) have heard the reproach of Moab,
And (BT)the insults of the people of Ammon,
With which they have reproached My people,
And (BU)made arrogant threats against their borders.
9 Therefore, as I live,”
Says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Surely (BV)Moab shall be like Sodom,
And (BW)the people of Ammon like Gomorrah—
(BX)Overrun[af] with weeds and saltpits,
And a [ag]perpetual desolation.
The residue of My people shall plunder them,
And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”
10 This they shall have (BY)for their pride,
Because they have reproached and made arrogant threats
Against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome to them,
For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
(BZ)People shall worship Him,
Each one from his place,
Indeed all (CA)the shores of the nations.
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north,
(CD)Destroy Assyria,
And make Nineveh a desolation,
As dry as the wilderness.
14 The herds shall lie down in her midst,
(CE)Every beast of the nation.
Both the (CF)pelican and the bittern
Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars;
Their voice shall sing in the windows;
Desolation shall be at the threshold;
For He will lay bare the (CG)cedar work.
15 This is the rejoicing city
(CH)That dwelt securely,
(CI)That said in her heart,
“I am it, and there is none besides me.”
How has she become a desolation,
A place for beasts to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
(CJ)Shall hiss and (CK)shake his fist.
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
3 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
2 She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the Lord,
She has not drawn near to her God.
3 (CL)Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are (CM)evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
4 Her (CN)prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have [ah]polluted the sanctuary,
They have done (CO)violence to the law.
5 The Lord is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
[ai]Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But (CP)the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations,
Their fortresses are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
With none passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
There is no one, no inhabitant.
7 (CQ)I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,
You will receive instruction’—
So that her dwelling would not be cut off,
Despite everything for which I punished her.
But [aj]they rose early and (CR)corrupted all their deeds.
A Faithful Remnant(CS)
8 “Therefore (CT)wait for Me,” says the Lord,
“Until the day I rise up [ak]for plunder;
My determination is to (CU)gather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth (CV)shall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.
9 “For then I will restore to the peoples (CW)a pure [al]language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
10 (CX)From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who (CY)rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
12 I will leave in your midst
(CZ)A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
13 (DA)The remnant of Israel (DB)shall do no unrighteousness
(DC)And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For (DD)they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
Joy in God’s Faithfulness
14 (DE)Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
(DF)The King of Israel, the Lord, (DG)is in your midst;
You shall [am]see disaster no more.
16 In that day (DH)it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, (DI)let not your hands be weak.
17 The Lord your God (DJ)in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
(DK)He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “I will gather those who (DL)sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
19 Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the (DM)lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time (DN)I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you [an]fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Habakkuk 1:3 Or toil
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. horsemen
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. spring about
- Habakkuk 1:11 Lit. spirit or wind
- Habakkuk 1:16 Lit. fat
- Habakkuk 2:5 Or Sheol
- Habakkuk 2:6 Syr., Vg. thick clay
- Habakkuk 2:7 Lit. those who bite you
- Habakkuk 2:8 Or bloodshed
- Habakkuk 2:9 Lit. hand of evil
- Habakkuk 2:13 Lit. for what satisfies fire, for what is of no lasting value
- Habakkuk 2:15 Lit. Attaching or Joining
- Habakkuk 2:15 Lit. their
- Habakkuk 2:16 DSS, LXX reel!; Syr., Vg. fall fast asleep!
- Habakkuk 3:1 Exact meaning unknown
- Habakkuk 3:9 Lit. tribes or rods, cf. v. 14
- Habakkuk 3:12 Or threshed
- Habakkuk 3:19 Heb. YHWH Adonai
- Zephaniah 1:2 Lit. make a complete end of, Jer. 8:13
- Zephaniah 1:3 Idols
- Zephaniah 1:3 ground
- Zephaniah 1:4 Fulfilled in 2 Kin. 23:4, 5
- Zephaniah 1:4 Heb. chemarim
- Zephaniah 1:5 Or Malcam, an Ammonite god, 1 Kin. 11:5; Jer. 49:1; Molech, Lev. 18:21
- Zephaniah 1:7 Lit. set apart, consecrated
- Zephaniah 1:11 A market district of Jerusalem, lit. Mortar
- Zephaniah 1:12 Lit. on their lees; like the dregs of wine
- Zephaniah 2:1 Or shameless
- Zephaniah 2:6 Underground huts or cisterns, lit. excavations
- Zephaniah 2:7 Lit. visit them
- Zephaniah 2:9 Lit. Possessed by nettles
- Zephaniah 2:9 Or permanent ruin
- Zephaniah 3:4 Or profaned
- Zephaniah 3:5 Lit. Morning by morning
- Zephaniah 3:7 They were eager
- Zephaniah 3:8 LXX, Syr. for witness; Tg. for the day of My revelation for judgment; Vg. for the day of My resurrection that is to come
- Zephaniah 3:9 Lit. lip
- Zephaniah 3:15 So with Heb. mss., LXX, Bg.; MT, Vg. fear
- Zephaniah 3:20 Lit. a name
Habakkuk 1 - Zephaniah 3
New International Version
Habakkuk 1 - Zephaniah 3
New International Version
1 The prophecy(A) that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long,(B) Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?(C)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?(D)
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate(E) wrongdoing?(F)
Destruction and violence(G) are before me;
there is strife,(H) and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law(I) is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice(J) is perverted.(K)
The Lord’s Answer
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.(L)
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.(M)
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[a](N)
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(O)
to seize dwellings not their own.(P)
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;(Q)
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter(R) than leopards,
fiercer than wolves(S) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9 they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners(T) like sand.
10 They mock kings
and scoff at rulers.(U)
They laugh at all fortified cities;
by building earthen ramps(V) they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind(W) and go on—
guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”(X)
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(Y)
My God, my Holy One,(Z) you[c] will never die.(AA)
You, Lord, have appointed(AB) them to execute judgment;
you, my Rock,(AC) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(AD) to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(AE)
Why then do you tolerate(AF) the treacherous?(AG)
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(AH)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(AI) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(AJ)
he catches them in his net,(AK)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense(AL) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?(AM)
2 I will stand at my watch(AN)
and station myself on the ramparts;(AO)
I will look to see what he will say(AP) to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[d](AQ)
The Lord’s Answer
2 Then the Lord replied:
“Write(AR) down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald[e] may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;(AS)
it speaks of the end(AT)
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait(AU) for it;
it[f] will certainly come
and will not delay.(AV)
4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person(AW) will live by his faithfulness[g](AX)—
5 indeed, wine(AY) betrays him;
he is arrogant(AZ) and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
and like death is never satisfied,(BA)
he gathers to himself all the nations
and takes captive(BB) all the peoples.
6 “Will not all of them taunt(BC) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(BD)
How long must this go on?’
7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their prey.(BE)
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.(BF)
For you have shed human blood;(BG)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(BH)
9 “Woe to him who builds(BI) his house by unjust gain,(BJ)
setting his nest(BK) on high
to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(BL) of many peoples,
shaming(BM) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(BN) of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(BO)
and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(BP)
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(BQ)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(BR) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.(BS)
15 “Woe to him who gives drink(BT) to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame(BU) instead of glory.(BV)
Now it is your turn! Drink(BW) and let your nakedness be exposed[h]!(BX)
The cup(BY) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(BZ) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(CA)
For you have shed human blood;(CB)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
18 “Of what value(CC) is an idol(CD) carved by a craftsman?
Or an image(CE) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.(CF)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(CG)
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;(CH)
there is no breath in it.”(CI)
Habakkuk’s Prayer
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.[i](CL)
2 Lord, I have heard(CM) of your fame;
I stand in awe(CN) of your deeds, Lord.(CO)
Repeat(CP) them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.(CQ)
3 God came from Teman,(CR)
the Holy One(CS) from Mount Paran.[j](CT)
His glory covered the heavens(CU)
and his praise filled the earth.(CV)
4 His splendor was like the sunrise;(CW)
rays flashed from his hand,
where his power(CX) was hidden.
5 Plague(CY) went before him;
pestilence followed his steps.
6 He stood, and shook the earth;
he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled(CZ)
and the age-old hills(DA) collapsed(DB)—
but he marches on forever.(DC)
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
the dwellings of Midian(DD) in anguish.(DE)
8 Were you angry with the rivers,(DF) Lord?
Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea(DG)
when you rode your horses
and your chariots to victory?(DH)
9 You uncovered your bow,
you called for many arrows.(DI)
You split the earth with rivers;
10 the mountains saw you and writhed.(DJ)
Torrents of water swept by;
the deep roared(DK)
and lifted its waves(DL) on high.
11 Sun and moon stood still(DM) in the heavens
at the glint of your flying arrows,(DN)
at the lightning(DO) of your flashing spear.
12 In wrath you strode through the earth
and in anger you threshed(DP) the nations.
13 You came out(DQ) to deliver(DR) your people,
to save your anointed(DS) one.
You crushed(DT) the leader of the land of wickedness,
you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head
when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,(DU)
gloating as though about to devour
the wretched(DV) who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea(DW) with your horses,
churning the great waters.(DX)
16 I heard and my heart pounded,
my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
and my legs trembled.(DY)
Yet I will wait patiently(DZ) for the day of calamity
to come on the nation invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,(EA)
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,(EB)
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,(EC)
I will be joyful in God my Savior.(ED)
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;(EE)
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.(EF)
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
1 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(EG) son of Amon(EH) king of Judah:
Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord
2 “I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,”(EI)
declares the Lord.
3 “I will sweep away both man and beast;(EJ)
I will sweep away the birds in the sky(EK)
and the fish in the sea—
and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”[k]
“When I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth,”(EL)
declares the Lord,(EM)
4 “I will stretch out my hand(EN) against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,(EO)
the very names of the idolatrous priests(EP)—
5 those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,(EQ)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
and who also swear by Molek,[l](ER)
6 those who turn back from following(ES) the Lord
and neither seek(ET) the Lord nor inquire(EU) of him.”
7 Be silent(EV) before the Sovereign Lord,
for the day of the Lord(EW) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;(EX)
he has consecrated those he has invited.
8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
I will punish(EY) the officials
and the king’s sons(EZ)
and all those clad
in foreign clothes.
9 On that day I will punish
all who avoid stepping on the threshold,[m](FA)
who fill the temple of their gods
with violence and deceit.(FB)
10 “On that day,(FC)”
declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,(FD)
wailing(FE) from the New Quarter,
and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail,(FF) you who live in the market district[n];
all your merchants will be wiped out,
all who trade with[o] silver will be destroyed.(FG)
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those who are complacent,(FH)
who are like wine left on its dregs,(FI)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,(FJ)
either good or bad.’(FK)
13 Their wealth will be plundered,(FL)
their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
they will not drink the wine.”(FM)
14 The great day of the Lord(FN) is near(FO)—
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(FP) and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness(FQ)—
16 a day of trumpet and battle cry(FR)
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.(FS)
17 “I will bring such distress(FT) on all people
that they will grope about like those who are blind,(FU)
because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out(FV) like dust
and their entrails like dung.(FW)
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”(FX)
In the fire of his jealousy(FY)
the whole earth will be consumed,(FZ)
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth.(GA)
Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations
Judah Summoned to Repent
2 Gather together,(GB) gather yourselves together,
you shameful(GC) nation,
2 before the decree takes effect
and that day passes like windblown chaff,(GD)
before the Lord’s fierce anger(GE)
comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath(GF)
comes upon you.
3 Seek(GG) the Lord, all you humble of the land,
you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness,(GH) seek humility;(GI)
perhaps you will be sheltered(GJ)
on the day of the Lord’s anger.
Philistia
4 Gaza(GK) will be abandoned
and Ashkelon(GL) left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
and Ekron uprooted.
5 Woe to you who live by the sea,
you Kerethite(GM) people;
the word of the Lord is against you,(GN)
Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, “I will destroy you,
and none will be left.”(GO)
6 The land by the sea will become pastures
having wells for shepherds
and pens for flocks.(GP)
7 That land will belong
to the remnant(GQ) of the people of Judah;
there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
he will restore their fortunes.[p](GR)
Moab and Ammon
8 “I have heard the insults(GS) of Moab(GT)
and the taunts of the Ammonites,(GU)
who insulted(GV) my people
and made threats against their land.(GW)
9 Therefore, as surely as I live,”
declares the Lord Almighty,
the God of Israel,
“surely Moab(GX) will become like Sodom,(GY)
the Ammonites(GZ) like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder(HA) them;
the survivors(HB) of my nation will inherit their land.(HC)”
10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,(HD)
for insulting(HE) and mocking
the people of the Lord Almighty.(HF)
11 The Lord will be awesome(HG) to them
when he destroys all the gods(HH) of the earth.(HI)
Distant nations will bow down to him,(HJ)
all of them in their own lands.
Cush
Assyria
13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,(HM)
leaving Nineveh(HN) utterly desolate
and dry as the desert.(HO)
14 Flocks and herds(HP) will lie down there,
creatures of every kind.
The desert owl(HQ) and the screech owl(HR)
will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
rubble will fill the doorways,
the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the city of revelry(HS)
that lived in safety.(HT)
She said to herself,
“I am the one! And there is none besides me.”(HU)
What a ruin she has become,
a lair for wild beasts!(HV)
All who pass by her scoff(HW)
and shake their fists.(HX)
Jerusalem
3 Woe to the city of oppressors,(HY)
rebellious(HZ) and defiled!(IA)
2 She obeys(IB) no one,
she accepts no correction.(IC)
She does not trust(ID) in the Lord,
she does not draw near(IE) to her God.
3 Her officials within her
are roaring lions;(IF)
her rulers are evening wolves,(IG)
who leave nothing for the morning.(IH)
4 Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.(II)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.(IJ)
5 The Lord within her is righteous;(IK)
he does no wrong.(IL)
Morning by morning(IM) he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,(IN)
yet the unrighteous know no shame.(IO)
Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant
6 “I have destroyed nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;(IP)
they are deserted and empty.
7 Of Jerusalem I thought,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’(IQ)
Then her place of refuge[r] would not be destroyed,
nor all my punishments come upon[s] her.
But they were still eager
to act corruptly(IR) in all they did.
8 Therefore wait(IS) for me,”
declares the Lord,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.[t]
I have decided to assemble(IT) the nations,(IU)
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(IV) on them—
all my fierce anger.(IW)
The whole world will be consumed(IX)
by the fire of my jealous anger.
Restoration of Israel’s Remnant
9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call(IY) on the name of the Lord(IZ)
and serve(JA) him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush[u](JB)
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.(JC)
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame(JD)
for all the wrongs you have done to me,(JE)
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.(JF)
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.(JG)
12 But I will leave within you
the meek(JH) and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust(JI) in the name of the Lord.
13 They(JJ) will do no wrong;(JK)
they will tell no lies.(JL)
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.(JM)
They will eat and lie down(JN)
and no one will make them afraid.(JO)”
14 Sing, Daughter Zion;(JP)
shout aloud,(JQ) Israel!
Be glad and rejoice(JR) with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;(JS)
never again will you fear(JT) any harm.(JU)
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.(JV)
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.(JW)
He will take great delight(JX) in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,(JY)
but will rejoice over you with singing.”(JZ)
18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed(KA) you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.(KB)
I will give them praise(KC) and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring(KD) you home.
I will give you honor(KE) and praise(KF)
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[v](KG)
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
- Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
- Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
- Habakkuk 2:2 Or so that whoever reads it
- Habakkuk 2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he
- Habakkuk 2:4 Or faith
- Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger
- Habakkuk 3:1 Probably a literary or musical term
- Habakkuk 3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.
- Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
- Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
- Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
- Zephaniah 1:11 Or in
- Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
- Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region
- Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
- Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over
- Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder
- Zephaniah 3:10 That is, the upper Nile region
- Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.