Zephaniah 1

1The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, # 1:1 2Kg 16:20; 18:1–20:21 in the days of Josiah # 1:1 2Kg 22:1–23:30; 2Ch 34:1–36:1; Jr 1:2 son of Amon, # 1:1 2Kg 21:18–25 king of Judah.

The Great Day of the Lord

2I will completely sweep away everything

from the face of the earth # 1:2 Gn 6:7; 7:4 —

this is the Lord’s declaration.

3I will sweep away people and animals; # 1:3 1Kg 14:10; Ezk 14:17

I will sweep away the birds of the sky

and the fish of the sea,

and the ruins # 1:3 Perhaps objects connected with idolatry along with the wicked. # 1:3 Is 13:9–12; Mt 13:41

I will cut off mankind

from the face of the earth.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

4I will stretch out my hand # 1:4 Ex 3:20; Ps 138:7; Ezk 14:9; 25:7,16; Zph 2:13 against Judah

and against all the residents of Jerusalem.

I will cut off every vestige of Baal # 1:4 1Kg 16:30–32

from this place,

the names of the pagan priests # 1:4 2Kg 23:5

along with the priests;

5those who bow in worship on the rooftops # 1:5 Jr 19:13; 32:29

to the stars in the sky;

those who bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord # 1:5 Dt 6:13; Is 48:1

but also pledge loyalty to Milcom; # 1:5 Some LXX mss, Syr, Vg; MT, other LXX mss read their king,# 1:5 1Kg 11:5; 2Kg 23:13; Jr 49:1,3

6and those who turn back from following the Lord,

who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.

7Be silent in the presence of the Lord God, # 1:7 Nm 13:30; Jdg 3:19; Hab 2:20; Zch 2:13

for the day of the Lord is near. # 1:7 Zph 1:14,18; 2:2–3

Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; # 1:7 Is 34:6; Jr 46:10

he has consecrated his guests. # 1:7 Lv 7:11–21; 1Sm 16:5; 2Ch 35:5–13; Jr 22:17

8On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice

I will punish the officials, the king’s sons,

and all who are dressed in foreign clothing.

9On that day # 1:9 Zph 1:10; 3:11,16 I will punish

all who skip over the threshold, # 1:9 Hb obscure,# 1:9 1Sm 5:5

who fill their master’s house

with violence and deceit.

10On that day —

this is the Lord’s declaration —

there will be an outcry from the Fish Gate, # 1:10 2Ch 33:14; Neh 3:3; 12:39

a wailing from the Second District, # 1:10 2Kg 22:14; 2Ch 34:22

and a loud crashing from the hills.

11Wail, you residents of the Hollow, # 1:11 Or the market district

for all the merchants # 1:11 Or Canaanites will be silenced;

all those loaded with silver will be cut off.

12And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps

and punish those who settle down comfortably, # 1:12 Lit who thicken on their dregs,# 1:12 Ex 15:8; Is 25:6; Jr 48:11

who say to themselves:

The Lord will do nothing — good or bad. # 1:12 Mal 2:17

13Their wealth will become plunder

and their houses a ruin.

They will build houses but never live in them,

plant vineyards but never drink their wine. # 1:13 Dt 28:30; Am 5:11; Mc 6:15

14The great day of the Lord is near, # 1:14 Is 13:6,9; Jl 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Am 5:18,20; Ob 15; Zch 14:1; Mal 4:5

near and rapidly approaching.

Listen, the day of the Lord —

then the warrior’s cry is bitter.

15That day is a day of wrath,

a day of trouble and distress,

a day of destruction and desolation,

a day of darkness # 1:15 Am 1:14; 5:18–20; Ob 12–14 and gloom,

a day of clouds and total darkness, # 1:15 Ps 97:2; Ezk 34:12; Jl 2:2

16a day of ram’s horn and battle cry

against the fortified cities,

and against the high corner towers.

17I will bring distress on mankind,

and they will walk like the blind # 1:17 Lm 4:14

because they have sinned against the Lord.

Their blood will be poured out like dust

and their flesh like dung.

18Their silver and their gold

will be unable to rescue them

on the day of the Lord’s wrath. # 1:18 Ezk 7:19

The whole earth will be consumed

by the fire of his jealousy, # 1:18 Ex 34:14; Dt 29:20; Ps 79:5; Zph 3:8; Zch 1:14; 8:2

for he will make a complete,

yes, a horrifying end

of all the inhabitants of the earth.

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Zephaniah 1: CSB

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Tzefanyah 1

1The Devar Hashem which came unto Tzephanyah ben Cushi, ben Gedalyah, ben Amaryah, ben Chizkiyah, in the yamim of Yoshiyahu (Josiah) ben Amon, Melech Yehudah.

2I will utterly sweep away

all things from off the adamah,

saith Hashem.

3I will sweep away Adam (humankind) and Behemah (beast, animal, cattle);

I will sweep away Oph HaShomayim (Birds of the Air)

and the Dagim of HaYam (Fish of the Sea),

and the michsholim (stumbling blocks, what causes to fall into sin) with the resha'im;

and I will cut off adam from off the adamah,

saith Hashem.

4I will also stretch out Mine hand against Yehudah,

and against all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim;

and I will cut off from this place

the she'ar HaBa'al (remnant of Ba'al),

and the shem (name) of the Kemarim (the idolatrous priests)#1:4 See 2Kgs 23:5 with the [idolatrous] kohanim;

5And those that worship the Tz'va HaShomayim

(Army of Heaven, star g-ds) upon the rooftops;

and those that worship and that swear [oaths] by Hashem,

but also swear by Milcom;#1:5 i.e., their King [Ba'al]

6And those that turned back from following Hashem;

and those that have not sought Hashem,

nor inquired of Him.

7Hold thy peace (keep silent) at the presence of Adonai Hashem:

for the Yom Hashem is at hand;

for Hashem hath prepared a zevach (sacrifice),

Hashem hath consecrated His guests.#1:7 i.e., made HaKeru'im (the Invited ones) of Him His Mequddashim (Consecrated ones), i.e., the nations set apart to consume His apostate people, see Isa 13:3

8And it shall come to pass in the Yom Zevach Hashem,

that I will punish the sarim (princes),

and Bnei HaMelech,

and all such as are clothed with malbush nochri (foreign apparel).

9In the same Yom also will I visit to punish

all those that leap over the threshold,#1:9 See 1Sm 5:5 which fill their mastersʼ batim (houses)

with chamas (violence) and mirmah (deceit).

10And it shall come to pass in that Yom, saith Hashem,

that there shall be the noise of a cry from Sha'ar HaDagim,

and a wail from the Second Quarter of the city,

and a loud crash from the hills.

11Howl, ye inhabitants of HaMakhtesh,#1:11 a locality in Yerushalayim

for all the merchants are cut down;

all they that weigh out kesef are cut off.

12And it shall come to pass at that time,

that I will search Yerushalayim with nerot (lamps),

and visit to punish the [proud] men

that are [complacently] settled on their lees;#1:12 wine dregs

that say in their lev: Hashem will not do tov,

neither will Hashem do rah.

13Therefore their goods shall become a booty,

and their batim a desolation;

they shall also build batim, but not inhabit them;

and they shall plant kramim (vineyards), but not drink the yayin thereof.

14The Yom Hashem HaGadol is near,

near and hastening quickly;

the sound of the Yom Hashem is mar (bitter);

there the gibbor (mighty man, warrior) cries aloud.

15That Yom is a Yom Evrah (day of wrath),

a Yom Tzarah and Metzukah (a day of trouble and distress, pressure),

a Yom of Sho'ah (catastrophe) and Meshoah (desolation),

a Yom of Choshech and Afelah (gloom),

a Yom of Anan and Arafel (thick darkness),

16A Yom of the Shofar and Teruah (battle cry)

against the fortified cities,

and against the high battlements.

17And I will bring distress upon adam,

that they shall walk like ivrim,

because they have sinned against Hashem;

and their dahm shall be poured out like dust,

and their bowels like dung.

18Neither their kesef nor their zahav

shall be able to save them in the Yom Evrat Hashem

(Day of Hashem ʼs Wrath);

but kol ha'aretz (the whole earth) shall be devoured

by the eish of Hashemʼs kina (jealousy, zeal, passion);

for He shall make a complete end, a terrible end,

of kol yoshvei ha'aretz (all them that dwell on the earth).

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