New International Version

New King James Version

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 Great Day of the Lord

The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the 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 Great Day of the Lord

“I will [a]utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says 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 consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the [b]stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the [c]land,”
Says 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.
[d]I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the idolatrous[e] priests with the pagan 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 worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord,
But who also swear by [f]Milcom;

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,
And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired 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

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
For the day of the Lord is at hand,
For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
He has [g]invited 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 it shall be,
In the day of the Lord’s sacrifice,
That I will punish the princes and the king’s children,
And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

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

In the same day I will punish
All those who leap over the threshold,
Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

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

“And there shall be on that day,” says the Lord,
“The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate,
A wailing from the Second Quarter,
And a loud crashing 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, you inhabitants of [h]Maktesh!
For all the merchant people are cut down;
All those who handle money 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

“And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are settled[i] in complacency,
Who say in their heart,
‘The Lord will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’

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

Therefore their goods shall become booty,
And their houses a desolation;
They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.”

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;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.

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

That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
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 and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.

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 upon men,
And 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 refuse.”

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
In the day of the Lord’s wrath;
But the whole land shall be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land.

Parallel

New International Version

New King James Version

Zephaniah 1

Zephaniah 1