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.

A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezikiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amoz, king of Judah:

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 utterly consume all from off the face of the ground, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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 consume man and beast, I consume fowl of the heavens, and fishes of the sea, And the stumbling-blocks -- the wicked, And I have cut off man from the face of the ground, An affirmation of Jehovah,

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,

And stretched out My hand against Judah, And against all inhabiting Jerusalem, And cut off from this place the remnant of Baal, The name of the idolatrous priests, with the priests,

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,

And those bowing themselves On the roofs to the host of the heavens, And those bowing themselves, Swearing to Jehovah, and swearing by Malcham,

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.

And those removing from after Jehovah, And who have not sought Jehovah, nor besought 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.

Hush! because of the Lord Jehovah, For near a day of Jehovah, For prepared hath Jehovah a sacrifice, He hath sanctified His invited ones.

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.

And it hath come to pass, In the day of the sacrifice of Jehovah, That I have laid a charge on the heads, And on sons of the king, And on all putting on strange clothing.

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.

And I have laid a charge on every one Who is leaping over the threshold in that day, Who are filling the house of their masters violence and deceit.

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.

And there hath been in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah, The noise of a cry from the fish-gate, And of a howling from the Second, And of great destruction 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.

Howl, ye inhabitants of the hollow place, For cut off hath been all the merchant people, Cut off have been all bearing silver.

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.

And it hath come to pass, at that time, I search Jerusalem with lights, And I have laid a charge on the men Who are hardened on their preserved things, Who are saying in their heart: Jehovah doth no good, nor doth He evil.

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.

And their wealth hath been for a spoil, And their houses for desolation, And they have built houses, and do not inhabit, And they have planted vineyards, And they do 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.

Near the great day of Jehovah, Near, and hasting exceedingly, The noise of the day of Jehovah, Bitterly shriek there doth a mighty one.

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,

A day of wrath that day, A day of adversity and distress, A day of waste and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of cloud and thick darkness.

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

A day of trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities, And against the high corners.

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.

And I have sent distress to men, And they have walked as the blind, For against Jehovah they have sinned, And poured out is their blood as dust, And their flesh as dung.

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.

Even their silver, even their gold, Is not able to deliver them in a day of the wrath of Jehovah, And in the fire of His jealousy consumed is the whole land, For only a hastened end doth He make Of all the inhabitants of the land!