The Prophet Zephaniah

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- Chapter 1 -

(Matthew 13:36–43)

This is the word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

“I will utterly destroy everything from off the surface of the earth-this is Yahweh’s declaration.

I will destroy man and beast; I will destroy the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, the ruins along with the wicked. For I will cut off man from the surface of the earth-this is Yahweh’s declaration.

I will reach out with my hand over Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every remnant of Baal from this place and the names of the idolatrous people among the priests,

the people who on the housetops worship the heavenly bodies, and the people who worship and swear to Yahweh but who also swear by their king, Milcom.

I will also cut off those who have turned away from following Yahweh, those who neither seek Yahweh nor ask for his guidance.”

The Day of the LORD

(Malachi 4:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; 2 Peter 3:8–13)

Be silent before Lord Yahweh! For the day of Yahweh is near; Yahweh has prepared the sacrifice and set apart his guests.

“It will come about on the day of Yahweh’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king’s sons, and everyone dressed in foreign clothes.

On that day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, those who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.

So it will be on that day-this is Yahweh’s declaration-that a cry of distress will come from the fish Gate, wailing from the Second District, and a great crashing sound from the hills.

Wail, inhabitants of the Market District, for all the merchants will be ruined; all those who weigh out silver will be cut off.

It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who have settled into their wine and say in their heart, ‘Yahweh will not do anything, either good or evil.’

Their wealth will become plunder, and their houses will be an abandoned devastation! They will build houses but not live in them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.

The great day of Yahweh is near, near and hurrying quickly! The sound of the day of Yahweh will be that of a warrior crying bitterly!

That day will be a day of fury, a day of distress and anguish, a day of storm and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.

It will be a day of trumpets and alarms against the fortified cities and the high battlements.

For I will bring distress upon mankind, so that they will walk about like blind men since they have sinned against Yahweh. Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their inner parts like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of Yahweh’s fury. In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will bring a complete, a terrible end of all the inhabitants of the earth.”

(Matthew 13:36–43)

The LORD’s(a) word 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.

I will utterly sweep away everything from the surface of the earth, says the LORD.

I 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 the LORD.

I 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,

those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by the LORD and also swear by Malcam,

those who have turned back from following the LORD, and those who haven’t sought the LORD nor inquired after him.

The Day of the LORD

(Malachi 4:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; 2 Peter 3:8–13)

Be silent at the presence of the Lord

(b)

GOD, for the day of the LORD is at hand. For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.

It will happen in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all those who are clothed with foreign clothing.

In that day, I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.

In that day, says the LORD, 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.

Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone! All those who were loaded with silver are cut off.

It 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, “The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.”

Their wealth will become a plunder, 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.

The great day of the LORD is near. It is near and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of the LORD. The mighty man cries there bitterly.

That 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,

a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high battlements.

I will bring such distress on men that they will walk like blind men because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’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.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name.

(b)1:7 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”