Zephaniah 1
1
1This is the message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah. He received this message during the time that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, who was the son of Gedaliah. Gedaliah was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Hezekiah.
The Lord’s Day for Judging the People
2The Lord says, “I will destroy everything on earth.#1:2 earth Or “the land” or “the country.” Also in verse 18. 3I will destroy all the people and all the animals. I will destroy the birds in the air and the fish in the sea. I will destroy the evil people and everything that makes them sin. I will remove all people from the earth.” This is what the Lord said.
4“I will punish Judah and the people living in Jerusalem. I will remove from this place any signs of Baal worship. No one will remember the priests who serve the idols there. 5And those who go up on their roofs to worship the stars#1:5 stars Literally, “army of heaven.” This might mean the stars and planets or the angels. will be forgotten. They worship me, the Lord, but they also use the name of the false god Milcom to make promises. 6They have turned away from me, the Lord. They have stopped following me. They no longer ask me, the Lord, for help.”
7Be silent before the Lord GOD, because the Lord’s day for judging the people is coming soon. The Lord has prepared his sacrifice, and he has told his invited guests to get ready.#1:7 prepared … get ready Literally, “prepared his sacrifice. He has made his called ones holy.” Here, this time of judgment is compared to a fellowship meal when priests offered a sacrifice to God and had the guests get ready for this special meal with God.
8The Lord said, “On the Lord’s day of sacrifice, I will punish the king’s sons and other leaders. I will punish all the people wearing clothes from other countries. 9At that time I will punish all the people who jump over the threshold#1:9 people wearing … threshold This probably means the priests and people who worshiped foreign gods, such as Dagon, or people who copied their ways of worshiping. See 1 Sam. 5:5. and those who fill their master’s house#1:9 master’s house This means the temple where the people worshiped God or their false gods. with lies and violence.”
10The Lord also said, “At that time people will be calling for help at Fish Gate in Jerusalem and mourning in the new part of town. They will hear the sound of destruction in the hills around the city. 11You people living in the lower part of town will cry, because all the traders and rich merchants will be destroyed.
12“At that time I will take a lamp and search through Jerusalem. I will find all those who are satisfied to live their own way. They say, ‘The Lord does nothing. He does not help, and he does not hurt!’ I will find them, and I will punish them. 13Then others will take their wealth and destroy their houses. Those who built houses will not live in them, and those who planted vineyards will not drink the wine from the grapes.”
14The Lord’s special day for judging is coming soon! It is near and coming fast. People will hear very sad sounds on the Lord’s special day of judgment. Even strong soldiers will cry. 15The Lord will show his anger at that time. It will be a time of terrible troubles and a time of destruction. It will be a time of darkness—a black, cloudy, and stormy day. 16It will be like a time of war when people hear horns and trumpets in the defense towers and protected cities.
17The Lord said, “I will make life very hard on the people. They will walk around like the blind who don’t know where they are going. That will happen because they sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be spilled on the ground. Their dead bodies will lie like dung on the ground. 18Their gold and silver will not help them! At that time the Lord will become very upset and angry. The Lord will destroy the whole world#1:18 world Or “land” or “country.”! He will completely destroy everyone on earth!”
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Zephaniah 1: ERV
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Zephaniah 1
1
1The 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 #2 Kin. 22:1, 2; 2 Chr. 34:1–33; Jer. 1:2; 22:11Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Great Day of the Lord
2“I will utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the Lord;
3“I#Hos. 4:3 will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the land,”
Says the Lord.
4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the #2 Kin. 23:5; Hos. 10:5idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—
5Those #2 Kin. 23:12; Jer. 19:13who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord,
But who also swear #Josh. 23:7by Milcom;
6#Is. 1:4; Jer. 2:13Those who have turned back from following the Lord,
And #Hos. 7:7have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.”
7#Hab. 2:20; Zech. 2:13Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
#Is. 13:6For the day of the Lord is at hand,
For #Deut. 28:26; Is. 34:6; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 39:17–19the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
He has invited His guests.
8“And it shall be,
In the day of the Lord’s sacrifice,
That I will punish #Jer. 39:6the princes and the king’s children,
And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
9In the same day I will punish
All those who #1 Sam. 5:5leap over the threshold,
Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10“And there shall be on that day,” says the Lord,
“The sound of a mournful cry from #2 Chr. 33:14; Neh. 3:3; 12:39the Fish Gate,
A wailing from the Second Quarter,
And a loud crashing from the hills.
11#James 5:1Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh!
For all the merchant people are cut down;
All those who handle money are cut off.
12“And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are #Jer. 48:11; Amos 6:1settled in complacency,
#Ps. 94:7Who say in their heart,
‘The Lord will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’
13Therefore their goods shall become booty,
And their houses a desolation;
They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards, but #Deut. 28:39not drink their wine.”
14#Jer. 30:7; Joel 2:1, 11The 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#Is. 22:5That 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,
16A day of #Is. 27:13; Jer. 4:19trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
17“I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall #Deut. 28:29walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse.”
18#Ezek. 7:19Neither 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.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.