1 ¶ The word of the LORD which went 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.

The 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.

2 I will utterly destroy all things from off the face of the earth, saith the LORD.

By 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.

3 I will destroy the men and the beasts; I will destroy the fowls of the heaven and the fishes of the sea, and the wicked shall stumble; and I will cut off men from upon the face of the earth, saith the LORD.

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.

4 A nd I will extend 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 their religious persons with their priests

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,

5 a nd those that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops and those that worship swearing by the LORD and by their king

And 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,

6 a nd those that have turned back from following the LORD and those that did not seek the LORD, nor enquired about him.

And 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.

7 ¶ Be silent before the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, he has bid his guests.

Be 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.

8 A nd it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice that I will make a visitation upon the princes and upon the king’s sons and upon all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

And 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.

9 I n the same day I will also make a visitation upon all those that leap over the door, who fill their masters’ houses with robbery and deceit.

In 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.

10 A nd 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 a howling from the school and a great destruction from the hills.

And 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.

11 H owl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all those that brought ye silver are cut off.

Wail, 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.

12 A nd it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps and make a visitation upon the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

And 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.

13 T herefore their goods shall become a spoil, and their houses a desolation: they shall build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

And 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.

14 ¶ The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hastens greatly, the bitter voice of the day of the LORD; the mighty man shall cry there.

The 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.

15 T hat 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,

That 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,

16 A day of the shofar and alarm upon the strong cities, and upon the high towers.

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

17 A nd 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.

And 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.

18 N either their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath, but the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all those that dwell in the earth.

Neither 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.