THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH
King James Version
1 ¶ The word of the LORD which came
unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the
son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 I will utterly
consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume
man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes
of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man
from off the land, saith the LORD.
4 I will also
stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the
Chemarims with the priests;
5
And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them
that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;
6 And them that
are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired
for him.
7 ¶ Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for
the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a
sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
8 And it shall
come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the
princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange
apparel.
9 In the same day
also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their
masters' houses with violence and deceit.
10
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall
be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a
great crashing from the hills.
11 Howl, ye
inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that
bear silver are cut off.
12
And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem
with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in
their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
13 Therefore
their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall
also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but
not drink the wine thereof.
14 ¶ The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and
hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall
cry there bitterly.
15 That day is a
day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16
A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against
the high towers.
17 And I will
bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have
sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their
flesh as the dung.
18
Neither 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 shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell
in the land.
1 ¶ Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O
nation not desired;
2
Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the
fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come
upon you.
3 Seek ye the
LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek
righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.
4 ¶ For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a
desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be
rooted up.
5 Woe unto the
inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the
LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
6 And the sea
coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast
shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in
the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their
captivity.
8 ¶ I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings
of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified
themselves against their border.
9 Therefore as I
live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the
breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of
my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
10 This shall
they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified
themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.
11
The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of
the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the
isles of the heathen.
12 ¶ Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will
stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.
14 And flocks
shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the
cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice
shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall
uncover the cedar work.
15
This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her
heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a
place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and
wag his hand.
1 ¶ Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the
oppressing city!
2
She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not
in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
3 Her princes
within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the
bones till the morrow.
4 Her prophets
are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
5 The just LORD
is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring
his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
6 I have cut off
the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that
there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
7 I said, Surely thou
wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be
cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all
their doings.
8 ¶ Therefore wait ye upon me, saith
the LORD, 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 upon them mine
indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with
the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then will I
turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
10 From beyond
the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall
bring mine offering.
11 In that day
shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed
against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty
because of my holy mountain.
12 I will also
leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust
in the name of the LORD.
13 The remnant of
Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful
tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none
shall make them afraid.
14 ¶ Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad
and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The LORD hath
taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king
of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any
more.
16 In that day it
shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be
slack.
17 The LORD thy
God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing.
18 I will gather
them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the
reproach of it was a burden.
19 Behold, at
that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth,
and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20 At that time
will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you
a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your
captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.