1 T he word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah king of Judah and son of Amon.

This is the Word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Godaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. The Day of the Lord Is Near

2 B y taking away I will make an end and I will utterly consume and sweep away all things from the face of the earth, says the Lord.

“I will take away everything from the earth,” says the Lord.

3 I will consume and sweep away man and beast; I will consume and sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will overthrow the stumbling blocks (the idols) with the wicked, and I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth, says the Lord.

“I will take away man and animal. I will take away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. I will destroy the sinful. And I will take man from off the earth,” says the Lord.

4 I will also stretch out My hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place and the name of the idol priests with the priests,

“I will put out My hand against Judah and against all the people of Jerusalem. I will destroy from this place the rest of the people who worship Baal, and the names of the religious leaders who worship false gods.

5 A nd those who worship the starry host of the heavens upon their housetops and those who worship the Lord and swear by and to Him and yet swear by and to Malcam,

I will destroy those who bow down on the roofs to the stars of heaven, and those who bow down and make promises to the Lord and yet promise in the name of Milcom.

6 A nd those who have drawn back from following the Lord and those who have not sought the Lord nor inquired for, inquired of, and required the Lord.

I will destroy those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not looked for the Lord or prayed to Him.”

7 B e silent before the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, and He has set apart those who have accepted His invitation.

Be quiet before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has made a gift ready for the altar. He has made holy those whom He has asked to come.

8 A nd on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who are clothed in foreign apparel.

“On the day of the Lord’s gift, I will punish the leaders, the king’s sons, and all who dress themselves with strange clothes.

9 I n the same day also will I punish all those who leap swiftly on or over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit and fraud.

On that day I will punish everyone who is quick to jump through the door, who fill the house of their owner with angry actions and lies.

10 A nd in that day, says the Lord, there shall be heard the voice of crying from the Fish Gate and a wailing from the Second Quarter or Lower City and a great crashing and sound of destruction from the hills.

On that day,” says the Lord, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate. A cry of sorrow will be heard from the new part of the city, and a loud noise from the hills.

11 W ail, you inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the merchant people, like the people of Canaan, will be silent; all those who weighed out silver and were loaded with it will be cut off.

Cry in a loud voice, you people who live in the part of the city where people buy and sell. For all the traders of Canaan will be destroyed. All who weigh out silver will be cut off.

12 A nd at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who are thickening and settling on their lees, who say in their hearts, The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.

At that time I will look through Jerusalem with a light and will punish those who take it easy and do not care what happens. They say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or bad.’

13 A nd their wealth shall become plunder and their houses a desolation. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink the wine from them.

Their riches will be taken from them and their houses will be laid waste. They will build houses but not live in them. They will plant grape-fields but not drink their wine.”

14 T he great day of the Lord is near—near and hastening fast. Hark! the voice of the day of the Lord! The mighty man will cry then bitterly.

The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and coming soon. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord! The man of war will cry out with a bitter cry.

15 T hat day is 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,

That day is a day of anger, a day of trouble and suffering, a day when much will be destroyed, a day of darkness, a day of clouds and much darkness.

16 A day of the blast of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the high towers and battlements.

It is a day of the sound of a horn and the cry of battle against the strong cities and the high towers.

17 A nd I will bring distress upon men, so that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.

I will bring trouble to men so that 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 body waste.

18 N either their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s indignation and wrath. But the whole earth shall be consumed in the fire of His jealous wrath, for a full, yes, a sudden, end will He make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Their silver and gold will not be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s anger. All the earth will be destroyed in the fire of His jealousy. For all at once He will make an end of all the people of the earth.