Zephaniah
1:1The word of Yahweh 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. 1:2I will utterly sweep away everything off
of the surface of the earth, says Yahweh.
1:3I will sweep away man and animal. I will
sweep away the birds of the sky, the fish
of the sea, and the heaps of rubble with
the wicked. I will cut off man from the
surface of the earth, says Yahweh. 1:4I will stretch out my hand against Judah,
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off the remnant of Baal from
this place: the name of the idolatrous and
pagan priests, 1:5those who worship the host of the sky
on the housetops, those who worship and
swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,
1:6those who have turned back from following
Yahweh, and those who haven't sought Yahweh
nor inquired after him. 1:7Be silent at the presence of the Lord
Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand.
For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice. He
has consecrated his guests. 1:8It will happen in
the day of Yahweh's sacrifice, that I will
punish the princes, the king's sons, and
all those who as are clothed with foreign
clothing. 1:9In that day, I will punish all those who
leap over the threshold, who fill their
master's house with violence and deceit.
1:10In that day, says Yahweh, there will
be the noise of a cry from the fish gate,
a wailing from the second quarter, and a
great crashing from the hills. 1:11Wail, you inhabitants
of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan
are undone! All those who were loaded with
silver are cut off. 1:12It will happen
at that time, that I will search Jerusalem
with lamps, and I will punish the men who
are settled on their dregs, who say in their
heart, "Yahweh will not do good, neither
will he do evil." 1:13Their wealth will become a spoil, and
their houses a desolation. Yes, they will
build houses, but won't inhabit them. They
will plant vineyards, but won't drink their
wine. 1:14The great day of Yahweh is near. It is
near, and hurries greatly, the voice of
the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries
there bitterly. 1:15That day is 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,
1:16a day of the trumpet and alarm, against
the fortified cities, and against the high
battlements. 1:17I will bring distress on men, that they
will walk like blind men, because they have
sinned against Yahweh, and their blood will
be poured out like dust, and their flesh
like dung. 1:18Neither their silver nor their gold will
be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh's
wrath, but the whole land will be devoured
by the fire of his jealousy; for he will
make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all
those who dwell in the land.
2:1Gather yourselves together, yes, gather
together, you nation that has no shame,
2:2before the appointed
time when the day passes as the chaff, before
the fierce anger of Yahweh comes on you,
before the day of Yahweh's anger comes on
you. 2:3Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the land,
who have kept his ordinances. Seek righteousness.
Seek humility. It may be that you will be
hidden in the day of Yahweh's anger. 2:4For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon
a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod
at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up.
2:5Woe to the inhabitants of the sea coast,
the nation of the Cherethites! The word
of Yahweh is against you, Canaan, the land
of the Philistines. I will destroy you,
that there will be no inhabitant. 2:6The sea coast will be pastures, with cottages
for shepherds and folds for flocks. 2:7The coast will be
for the remnant of the house of Judah. They
will find pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon,
they will lie down in the evening, for Yahweh,
their God, will visit them, and restore
them. 2:8I have heard the
reproach of Moab, and the insults of the
children of Ammon, with which they have
reproached my people, and magnified themselves
against their border. 2:9Therefore as I live, says Yahweh of Hosts,
the God of Israel, surely Moab will be as
Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah,
a possession of nettles, and salt pits,
and a perpetual desolation. The remnant
of my people will plunder them, and the
survivors of my nation will inherit them.
2:10This they will
have for their pride, because they have
reproached and magnified themselves against
the people of Yahweh of Hosts. 2:11Yahweh will be
awesome to them, for he will famish all
the gods of the land. Men will worship him,
everyone from his place, even all the shores
of the nations. 2:12You Cushites also, you will be killed
by my sword. 2:13He will stretch out his hand against
the north, destroy Assyria, and will make
Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness.
2:14Herds will lie down in the midst of her,
all the animals of the nations. Both the
pelican and the porcupine will lodge in
its capitals. Their calls will echo through
the windows. Desolation will be in the thresholds,
for he has laid bare the cedar beams. 2:15This is the joyous city that lived carelessly,
that said in her heart, "I am, and
there is none besides me." How she
has become a desolation, a place for animals
to lie down in! Everyone who passes by her
will hiss, and shake their fists.
3:1Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
the oppressing city! 3:2She didn't obey the voice. She didn't
receive correction. She didn't trust in
Yahweh. She didn't draw near to her God.
3:3Her princes in the midst of her are roaring
lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They
leave nothing until the next day. 3:4Her prophets are arrogant and treacherous
people. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law. 3:5Yahweh, in the midst of her, is righteous.
He will do no wrong. Every morning he brings
his justice to light. He doesn't fail, but
the unjust know no shame. 3:6I have cut off nations.
Their battlements are desolate. I have made
their streets waste, so that no one passes
by. Their cities are destroyed, so that
there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
3:7I said, "Just
fear me. Receive correction, so that her
dwelling won't be cut off, according to
all that I have appointed concerning her."
But they rose early and corrupted all their
doings. 3:8"Therefore wait for me," says
Yahweh, "until the day that I rise
up to the prey, for my determination is
to gather the nations, that I may assemble
the kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation,
even all my fierce anger, for all the earth
will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
3:9For then I will
purify the lips of the peoples, that they
may all call on the name of Yahweh, to serve
him shoulder to shoulder. 3:10From beyond the
rivers of Cush, my worshipers, even the
daughter of my dispersed people, will bring
my offering. 3:11In that day you
will not be disappointed for all your doings,
in which you have transgressed against me;
for then I will take away out of the midst
of you your proudly exulting ones, and you
will no more be haughty in my holy mountain.
3:12But I will leave in the midst of you
an afflicted and poor people, and they will
take refuge in the name of Yahweh. 3:13The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity,
nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful
tongue be found in their mouth, for they
will feed and lie down, and no one will
make them afraid."
3:14Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem. 3:15Yahweh has taken away your judgments.
He has thrown out your enemy. The King of
Israel, Yahweh, is in the midst of you.
You will not be afraid of evil any more.
3:16In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem,
"Don't be afraid, Zion. Don't let your
hands be slack." 3:17Yahweh, your God, is in the midst of
you, a mighty one who will save. He will
rejoice over you with joy. He will rest
in his love. He will rejoice over you with
singing. 3:18Those who are sad for the appointed feasts,
I will remove from you. They are a burden
and a reproach to you. 3:19Behold, at that time I will deal with
all those who afflict you, and I will save
those who are lame, and gather those who
were driven away. I will give them praise
and honor, whose shame has been in all the
earth. 3:20At that time will
I bring you in, and at that time will I
gather you; for I will give you honor and
praise among all the peoples of the earth,
when I bring back your captivity before
your eyes, says Yahweh.
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