Zephaniah chapter 1 The word
of the Lord that came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of
Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah,
the son of Ammon, king of Judah. I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will sweep away man
and beast. I will sweep away the birds of
the heavens, and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with
the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the
face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will stretch out my hand
against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off from this
place the remnant of Baal. and the name of the idolatrous
priests along with the priests, those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the
Lord and yet swear by Milcom, those who have turned back from
the following of the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire
of Him. Be silent before the Lord God. For the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and consecrated His guests. And on the day of the Lord's
sacrifice, I will punish the officials and the king's sons,
and all who array themselves in foreign attire. On that day,
I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those
who fill their master's house with violence and fraud. On that day, declares the Lord,
a cry will be heard from the fish gate, a wail from the second
quarter, a loud crash from the hills. Wail, O inhabitants of
the mortar, for all the traders are no more. all who weigh out
silver are cut off. At that time, I will search Jerusalem
with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those
who say in their hearts, The Lord will not do good, nor will
He do ill. Their goods shall be plundered,
and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they
shall not inhabit them, Though they plant vineyards, they shall
not drink wine from them. The great day of the Lord is
near, near and hastening fast. The sound of the day of the Lord
is bitter. The mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a
day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind,
so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have
sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out
like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath
of the Lord. in the fire of his jealousy,
all the earth shall be consumed. For a full and sudden end he
will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.