THE PROPHET
ZEPHANIAH
Zephaniah 1 ©
The LORD foretells the ruin of Jerusalem, and the devastation of all the tribe of Judah by the Babylonians, because of their idolatry and other sins, exhorting them to repentance; the transportation to Babylon being near at hand.
THE word of the LORD which came unto 1Zephaniah the son of 2Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, 3in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
I will 4utterly consume all things 5from off the land, saith the LORD.
I will consume man and 6beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and 7the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
8I will also 9stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off 10the remnant of Baal 11from this place, and the name 12of the Chemarims 13with the priests;
14And 15them that worship 16the host of heaven upon 17the housetops; and them that worship and that 18swear by the LORD, and that 19swear by 20Malcham;
And thema that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
21Hold thy peace 22at the presence of the Lord GOD: for 23the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared 24a sacrifice, he hath 25bid 26his guests.
And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’S sacrifice, 27that I will punish the princes, and 28the king’s children, and 29all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
In the same day also 30will I punish 31all those that leap on the threshold, 32which fill their masters’ houses 33with violence and deceit.
And it shall come to pass 34in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be 35the noise of a cry from 36the fish gate, and an howling from 37the second, and 38a great crashing 39from the hills.
Howl, ye inhabitants 40of Maktesh, for all the 41merchant people are 42cut down; all 43they that bear silver are cut off.
And it shall come to pass at that time, that 44I will search Jerusalem 45with candles, and punish 46the men 47that are settled on their lees:b that say in their heart, 48The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
Therefore 49their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: 50they shall also build houses, but 51not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
52The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even 53the voice of the day of the LORD: 54the mighty man shall cry 55there bitterly.
That day is a day 56of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, ac day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
57A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against 58the high towers.
And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk 59like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out 60as dust, and their 61flesh 62as the dung.
Neither their silverd nor their gold shall be able to deliver them ine the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be 63devoured 64by the fire of his jealousy: for 65he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell 66in the land.