[1] The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah
the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah,
in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
[2] I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
[3] I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the
heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and
I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
[4] I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this
place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
[5] And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and
them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;
[6] And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not
sought the LORD, nor inquired for him.
[7] Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the
LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his
guests.
[8] And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I
will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed
with strange apparel.
[9] In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the
threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
[10] And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there
shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second,
and a great crashing from the hills.
[11] Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are
cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
[12] And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search
[13] Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a
desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall
plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
[14] The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly,
even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
[15] That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and
thick darkness,
[16] A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and
against the high towers.
[17] And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind
men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured
out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
[18] 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 shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that
dwell in the land.
[1] Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together,
O nation not desired;
[2] Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff,
before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD's
anger come upon you.
[3] Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his
judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the
day of the LORD's anger.
[4] For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall
drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
[5] Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the
Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the
Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
[6] And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and
folds for flocks.
[7] And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they
shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the
evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their
captivity.
[8] I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children
of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves
against their border.
[9] Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the
breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of
my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
[10] This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached
and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.
[11] The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the
gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even
all the isles of the heathen.
[12] Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
[13] And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy
Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.
[14] And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of
the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper
lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in
the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.
[15] This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her
heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a
place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and
wag his hand.
[1] Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the
oppressing city!
[2] She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted
not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
[3] Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening
wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
[4] Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have
polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
[5] The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity:
every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the
unjust knoweth no shame.
[6] I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their
streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there
is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
[7] I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so
their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose
early, and corrupted all their doings.
[8] Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise
up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may
assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce
anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
[9] For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may
all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
[10] From beyond the rivers of
[11] In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein
thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst
of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty
because of my holy mountain.
[12] I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor
people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
[13] The remnant of
[14] Sing, O daughter of
[15] The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine
enemy: the king of
[16] In that day it shall be said to
[17] The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he
will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing.
[18] I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who
are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
[19] Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will
save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them
praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
[20] At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather
you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth,
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.