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The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

1

The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

“I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,”
“When I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth,”
declares the Lord.

2

The Coming Judgment on Judah

“I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

3

“I will sweep away both man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea —
and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”a
“When I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth,”
declares the Lord,

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 rubblea with the wicked.
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

4

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,
the very names of the idolatrous priests —

4

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,

5

those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
and who also swear by Molek,b

5

those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens,
those who bow down and swear to the Lord
and yet swear by Milcom,b

6

those who turn back from following the Lord
and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”

6

those who have turned back from following the Lord,
who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

7

Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,
for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
he has consecrated those he has invited.

7

The Day of the Lord Is Near

Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and consecrated his guests.

8

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
I will punish the officials
and the king’s sons
and all those clad
in foreign clothes.

8

And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice —
“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all who array themselves in foreign attire.

9

On that day I will punish
all who avoid stepping on the threshold,c
who fill the temple of their gods
with violence and deceit.

9

On that day I will punish
everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master’sc house
with violence and fraud.

10

“On that day,”
declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,
wailing from the New Quarter,
and a loud crash from the hills.

10

“On that day,” declares the Lord,
“a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
a loud crash from the hills.

11

Wail, you who live in the market districtd;
all your merchants will be wiped out,
all who trade withe silver will be destroyed.

11

Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
For all the tradersd are no more;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.

12

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those who are complacent,
who are like wine left on its dregs,
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,
either good or bad.’

12

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
who are complacent,e
those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
nor will he do ill.’

13

Their wealth will be plundered,
their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
they will not drink the wine.”

13

Their goods shall be plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them.”

14

The great day of the Lord is near —
near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.

14

The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.

15

That day will be a day of wrath —
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness —

15

A day of wrath is that day,
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 trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.

16

a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.

17

“I will bring such distress on all people
that they will grope about like those who are blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like dung.

17

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

18

Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole earth will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth.

18

Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them
on the day of the wrath of the Lord.
In the fire of his jealousy,
all the earth shall be consumed;
for a full and sudden end
he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Parallel

New International Version

English Standard Version

Zephaniah 1

Zephaniah 1