Zephaniah chapter 1
The day of Jehovah's wrath
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, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 “ I will utterly destroy everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
3 “I will destroy both man and beast; I will destroy the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, and I will cut off the wicked; I will blot out mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
4 “ I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests with their priests;
5 and those who on the housetops bow down to the host of heaven, and those who bow down and swear by the Lord and by Milcom;
6 and those who turn away from following the Lord, and those who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”
7 Be silent before the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and made his guests happy.
8 On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all who wear foreign clothing.
9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the gate, who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10 On that day, declares the Lord, there will be a cry from the Fish Gate, wailing from the Second Gate, and a great crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of Machte, for all the merchant people are destroyed; all who bring money are destroyed.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with a lamp and punish those who are complacent, like wine left on its lees, who say to themselves, “The Lord will do neither good nor evil.”
13 Therefore their possessions will be plundered, and their houses laid waste; they will build houses, but not live in them, and plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.
14 The great day of the Lord is near, near and coming quickly; the cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man will cry out there.
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 and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the high towers.
17 I will bring distress on mankind, and they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s anger, for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a complete end of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Zephaniah Chapter 2
Lawsuits against neighboring nations
1 Gather yourselves together and consider, O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect, before the day passes like chaff; before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have carried out his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For Gaza will be deserted, and Ashkelon laid waste; Ashdod will be plundered at midday, and Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe to you who dwell on the coast of the sea, you Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines, and I will destroy you so that no one will live there.
6 The coast of the sea will become pastures for shepherds, and folds for flocks.
7 That place will be for the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will graze their flocks; in the houses of Ashkelon they will sleep at night, for the Lord their God will visit them and restore their fortunes.
8 I have heard the insults of Moab and the reproaches of the Ammonites, with which they have dishonored my people and exalted themselves over their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, Moab will become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a field of weeds and a pit of salt, a perpetual desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the remnant of my people will inherit them.
10 This will come upon them because of their pride, for they have insulted and exalted themselves against the people of the Lord Almighty.
11 The Lord will be terrible against them, for he will destroy all the gods of the earth, and all the lands of the nations will bow down to him from their places.
12 You also, you Ethiopians, will be killed by my sword.
13 He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and make Nineveh a desolation and a parched wilderness.
14 Flocks of cattle will lie down in it, all the wild animals; the pelican and the hedgehog will sleep on its lintels; their voices will sing in the windows; desolation will be at the gates, for its cedar paneling will be exposed.
15 This is the carefree, careless city that said in its heart, “I am, and there is no one else!” How desolate it is, a haunt for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by it will scoff and shake his hand.
Zephaniah Chapter 3
The sin of Jerusalem, and its redemption
1 Woe to the rebellious, defiled, and oppressive city!
2 She did not listen to the voice, nor accept correction; she did not trust in the Lord, nor draw near to her God.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave no bone until morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; her priests have defiled the sanctuary, they have violated the law.
5 The Lord within her is righteous, he does no wrong; every morning he brings forth his justice, he never fails; but the wicked know no shame.
6 I have destroyed nations; their dwellings are laid waste; I have made their streets deserted, so that no one passes through; their cities are laid waste, so that no one remains, no one is left inhabitant.
7 I said, “Surely she will fear me; she will accept correction, and her dwelling will not be destroyed according to all for which I punished her.” But they were quick to corrupt all their deeds.
8 Therefore wait for me, declares the Lord, until the day I rise to judge you. For my purpose is to gather the nations and assemble the kingdoms, to pour out on them my wrath, all the fierceness of my anger. By the fire of my jealousy all the earth will be consumed.
9 At that time I will restore purity of speech to the peoples, so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.
10 From the land beyond the rivers of Cush they will pray to me; the daughter of my dispersed people will bring my offering.
11 On that day you will not be put to shame for any of your deeds by which you have rebelled against me, for then I will remove from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you will never again be haughty on my holy mountain.
12 I will leave in your midst a humble and lowly people, who will trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong, nor speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will graze and lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, 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 enemies; the Lord, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you shall see evil no more.
16 At that time it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
18 I will gather those who are weary because of the long period of oppression—those who were yours, for whom her reproach was a burden.
19 “At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather the scattered. I will make you a praise and a name throughout the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you back; at that time I will gather you. I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.