Zephaniah 1:1-18
1 The word of Jehovah that came to Zeph·a·niʹah* son of Cushʹi son of Ged·a·liʹah son of Am·a·riʹah son of Hez·e·kiʹah in the days of Jo·siʹah+ son of Aʹmon+ the king of Judah:
2 “I will completely sweep away everything from the surface of the ground,” declares Jehovah.+
3 “I will sweep away man and beast.
I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,+And the stumbling blocks*+ along with the wicked ones;And I will remove mankind from the surface of the ground,” declares Jehovah.
4 “I will stretch out my hand against JudahAnd against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,And I will wipe out from this place every vestige* of Baʹal,+The name of the foreign-god priests along with the priests,+
5 And those who bow down on the rooftops to the army of the heavens,+And those who bow down and pledge loyalty to Jehovah+While pledging loyalty to Malʹcam;+
6 And those who turn away from following Jehovah+And who do not seek Jehovah or inquire of him.”+
7 Be silent before the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, for the day of Jehovah is near.+
Jehovah has prepared a sacrifice; he has sanctified those he invited.
8 “On the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice I will call to account the princes,The sons of the king,+ and all those wearing foreign clothing.
9 I will call to account everyone who climbs onto the platform* on that day,Those who fill their master’s house with violence and deception.
10 On that day,” declares Jehovah,“There will be the sound of an outcry from the Fish Gate,+A wailing from the Second Quarter of the city,+And a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of Makʹtesh,*For all the tradesmen* have been done away with;*All those weighing out silver have been destroyed.
12 At that time I will carefully search Jerusalem with lamps,And I will call to account the complacent ones,* who say in their heart,‘Jehovah will not do good, and he will not do bad.’+
13 Their wealth will be plundered and their houses will be devastated.+
They will build houses, but they will not occupy them;And they will plant vineyards, but they will not drink wine from them.+
14 The great day of Jehovah is near!+
It is near and it is approaching very quickly!*+
The sound of the day of Jehovah is bitter.+
There a warrior cries out.+
15 That day is a day of fury,+A day of distress and anguish,+A day of storm and desolation,A day of darkness and gloom,+A day of clouds and thick gloom,+
16 A day of the horn and of the battle cry,+Against the fortified cities and against the high corner towers.+
17 I will cause distress to mankind,And they will walk like blind men,+Because it is against Jehovah they have sinned.+
Their blood will be poured out like dust,And their flesh* like the dung.+
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of Jehovah’s fury;+For by the fire of his zeal the whole earth will be consumed,+Because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.”+
Footnotes
^ Meaning “Jehovah Has Concealed (Treasured Up).”
^ Evidently, objects or activities connected with idolatry.
^ Or “trace.”
^ Or “podium; threshold.” Possibly the platform of the king’s throne.
^ Lit., “silenced.”
^ Apparently a section of Jerusalem near the Fish Gate.
^ Or “merchants.”
^ Lit., “those congealing on their dregs,” as in a wine vat.
^ Or “hurrying rapidly!”
^ Lit., “intestines.”