Zephaniah 1

1The ’s Lordmessage, which came to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the time of Josiah of Judah who was son of Amon. 2I will utterly destroy everything from off the face of the earth, says the . Lord 3I will sweep away human and animal, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. I will cause the wicked to stumble, and I will cut off humanity from the face of the earth, says the . Lord 4I will stretch out my hand over Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off from this place the last remnant of Baal and the name of the heathen priests, 5and those who worship on the housetops to the stars in the sky, and those worshippers of the Lordwho also pay homage to Milcom, 6and those who turn back from following the , LordAnd those who do not seek the Lordnor strive to find him. 7Be silent before the Lord , Godfor near is the day of the , Lordfor the Lordhas prepared a sacrifice, he has sanctified his guests. 8On the day of the ’s Lordsacrifice: I will punish the officers and the royal princes, and all those who clothe themselves in foreign apparel. 9On that day: I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit. 10Listen on that day, says the : LordA cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, and a wailing from the New Quarter, and a great din from the hills. 11Those who live in the Mortar wail, for all the traders are silenced, the money counters wiped out. 12I will search Jerusalem with a lamp, I will punish those who are at ease, who sit comfortably with their wine, who say to themselves, the brings Lordneither prosperity nor calamity.’ 13Their wealth will become a prey and their houses a desolation. they build houses, they will not inhabit them; they plant vineyards, they will not drink wine from them. 14Near is the day of the ! LordNear and rapidly approaching! Near is the bitter day of the , Lordand the scream of the warrior. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16a day of the trumpet and battle-cry, against the fortified cities and against the high battlements. 17And I will bring distress upon the people and they will walk as the blind, because they have sinned against the , Lordand their blood will be poured out as dust and their flesh as dung.