Zephaniah Chapters

1 | ¹When Josiah, son of Ammon, reigned in Judah, the word of the Lord was addressed to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. He said:

²“I will wipe out everything from the face of the earth. ³I will put an end to humans and animals, to the birds of heaven and the fish of the sea. I will wipe humankind from the face of the earth. ⁴I will raise my hand to punish Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will bring out of that place all the remnants of Baal with their priests. ⁵I will also drive away those who kneel on the roofs to worship the stars, those who invoke at the same time the Lord and Milcom, ⁶those who have deserted the Lord and no longer look toward him or consult him.

⁷Silence before the Lord! For his day is near: The Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his invited guests. ⁸The Lord says, ‘On the day that sacrifice is made, I will call to account the officials, the king’s sons, and all who clothe themselves in foreign fashion. ⁹I will also give the corresponding punishment to everyone who jumps over the threshold without stepping on it and fills the house of their lords with the fruits of their crimes and thefts.’

¹⁰On that day, a great cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the new city, and a frightful noise from the nearby hills. ¹¹Wail, inhabitants of the lower district, for all the traders have disappeared, all who counted the silver have perished.

¹²On that day, I will explore Jerusalem with torches and call to account those who have sunk in their vices and think in their hearts: Well, the Lord does not do good or evil! ¹³Their riches will be pillaged, their houses demolished.

You have built houses but will not live in them. You have planted vineyards, but you will not taste the wine.”

A Day of Wrath

•  ¹⁴The great day of the Lord is near;

it already comes.

Its sound is so frightening

that even the valiant cries out in terror.

¹⁵It is a day of wrath, anguish, and distress;

a day of destruction and devastation,

of gloom and darkness;

it is a day of dark clouds

¹⁶and fog, when the trumpet sounds

the call for battle,

and the enemy attacks the fortresses

and the high fortified towers.

¹⁷I will bring misfortune on these people, and they will grope along like the blind. Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their remains will lie like dung.

¹⁸Neither their gold nor silver will rescue them when God's anger burns against them. The land of Judah will be burned in the fire of his zeal when he destroys even the traces of all who dwell there.

2 | ¹Gather together and assemble, O shameless people, ²that you may be scattered by the wind like a heap of straw when the anger of the Lord comes upon you!

³Seek the Lord, all you poor of the land, who fulfill his commands, do justice and be meek, and perhaps you will find refuge on the day the Lord comes to judge.

⁴Gaza shall be a desert; Ashkelon will be destroyed entirely to its very foundation. ⁵Woe to the nation of the Cherethites on the seacoast, for the Lord has spoken against it: “O Canaan, land of the Philistines, I will destroy you so that no one will be left in you.”

⁶The seacoast shall be like pastures where the shepherds and their flocks go, and the lambs gather. ⁷This region will belong to the remnant of the tribe of Judah; there, they shall bring their flocks to graze and sleep at night in the houses of Ashkelon when the Lord their God comes to visit them and bring their captives back.

⁸The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “I have heard the affronts of Moab and the mockery of the Ammonites who insulted my people and extended their boundaries at the expense of my territory.

⁹Therefore I swear that, as I live, Moab shall become like Sodom, and Ammon like Gomorrah, as desert indeed. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall receive them as an inheritance. ¹⁰This shall be their lot, in payment for their pride, for they insulted the people of the God of hosts and have enriched themselves at my people’s expense.” ¹¹The Lord will be inflexible with them when he calls to account all the gods of the earth. ¹²Then the pagans who live on the islands shall worship him, each in his own land.

“The threat of my sword also hangs over you, Ethiopians.” ¹³The Lord will raise his hand against the north and reduce Assyria to ruins. ¹⁴He will leave Nineveh in utter desolation, barren as the desert. Herds of all kinds of animals shall find shelter in her, and even the pelican and the heron shall dwell in her ruins; the owl shall hoot from the window and the raven from the threshold.

¹⁵The cedar has been uprooted! So will be the end of the happy city that felt secure in her own power and said to herself: I and there is no one else. Why is it now a heap of ruins where animals take shelter? Everyone who passes by her hisses, making signs with the hand.

Against Jerusalem

3 | ¹Woe to the rebellious, defiled, the city that oppresses! 2 She did not pay attention to the call nor accept the correction; she did not trust the Lord or approach her God. ³Her kings are like roaring lions, and her rulers are like evening wolves who do not leave even a bone for the next day. ⁴Her prophets are blabbermouths and treacherous people; her priests defile whatever is sacred, with no respect for the law.

⁵However, the Lord, the Just One, is in her midst; he never commits injustice. He says what must be done every morning, but the unjust do not feel ashamed.

⁶I have wiped out the nations, demolished their watchtowers, left their streets abandoned, and no one walks in them; their cities have been leveled, and no one lives there.

⁷I said, “Surely now you will fear me; you will accept correction; they cannot fail to see all I have brought upon them.” Yet the more eagerly they have done all their corrupt deeds.

⁸Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord, for the day when I come to accuse, when I have the nations gathered and the kingdoms assembled, to vent my wrath on you with all the fury of my anger. Then, the fire of my jealous wrath will burn the whole land.

⁹At that time, I will give truthful lips to the pagan nations so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with the same zeal. ¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, they will bring offerings to me.

God Amid the Meek

•  ¹¹On that day, you will no longer be ashamed of all your deeds when you were unfaithful to me; I will have removed the conceited and arrogant from your midst, and my holy mountain will no longer be for you, a pretext for boasting.

¹²I will leave within you a poor and meek people who seek refuge in God. ¹³The remnant of Israel will not act unjustly, nor will they speak falsely, nor will deceitful words be found in their mouths. They will eat and rest with no one to threaten them.

¹⁴Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; rejoice, O people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵The Lord has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

¹⁶On that day, they will say to Jerusalem: Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, ¹⁷for the Lord your God is within you, the Lord, saving warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for he has revived his love. For you, he will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast.

¹⁸I will destroy the evil I warned you about, and you will no longer be shamed.

¹⁹On that day, I will face your oppressors; I will save the lame sheep and bring the lost back into the fold. I will give them renown and honor in all the lands where humiliation was your lot.

²⁰On that day, I will be good to you and gather you, to make you famous and honorable, among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back the captives before your eyes—this is the Lord’s word.