ZEPHAN I A H. 1 I 2 THE word of the LORD which came unto 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 consume all things from off the 3 face of the ground, saith the LORD. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the face of the ground, saith the LORD. And I will 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 5 'Chemarim with the priests; and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, which swear to the 4 1See 2 Kings xxiii. 5, Hos. x. 5. 6 LORD and swear by Malcam; and them that Or, their are turned back from following the LORD; and king those that have not sought the LORD, nor inquired after 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 xvi. 5. 8 'sanctified his guests. And it shall come to See I Sam, pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I 1 Heb. visit upon. 2 Heb. Mishneh. 3 Or, The mortar 4 Or, the merchant people 5 will 'punish the princes, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. And in that day I will 'punish all those that 9 leap over the threshold, which fill their master's house with violence and deceit. And in that 10 day, saith the LORD, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the 'second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of 'Maktesh, for all 11 'the people of Canaan are undone: all they that were laden with silver are cut off. And it shall 12 come to pass at that time, that I will search * Heb. lamps. Jerusalem with candles; and I will 1punish "Or, thickened the men that are "settled on their lees, that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. And their wealth shall 13 become a spoil, and their houses a desolation: yea, they shall build houses, but shall not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but shall not drink the wine thereof. The 14 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 crieth there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble 15 and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet 16 and alarm, against the fenced cities, and against the high 'battlements. And I will bring distress 17 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 dung. Neither their silver nor 18 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 an end, yea, a 'terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land. 7 Or, corner towers 8 Or, speedy 2 I Gather yourselves together, yea, gather to2 gether, O nation that hath no 'shame; 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 3 LORD's anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day 4 of the LORD's anger. For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants 5 3 of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! Or, the region 4 6 that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be pastures, with cottages for Or, caves 7 shepherds and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for the LORD their God shall visit 8 them, and bring again their captivity. I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified them9 selves against their border. 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, a possession of 'nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: Or, wild the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves I against the people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will 5 vetches 1 Or, coastlands 2 Or, all beasts of every kind famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the 'isles of the nations. Ye Ethiopians 12 also, ye shall be slain by my sword. And he 13 will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness. And 14 herds shall lie down in the midst of her, 'all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the chapiters thereof: their voice shall sing in the windows; 3 Or, drought desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar work. This is the 15 joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none else 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. 4 Or, instruction the bones on the morrow 3 I Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted, 1 3 to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the 2 voice; she received not 'correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. Her princes in the midst of her are roaring 3 lions; her judges are evening wolves; they Or, gnaw not leave nothing till the morrow. Her prophets 4 are light and treacherous persons: her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. The LORD in the midst 5 of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; "every morning doth he bring his judgement to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. I have cut off nations, their 'battle- 6 ments are desolate; I have made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely thou wilt 7 fear me, thou wilt receive 'correction; so her I punished her dwelling should not be cut off, according to all 6 Heb. morning by morning. 7 Or, corner towers 8 Or, howsoever but 1 judgement. 2 3 4 Heb. lip. Heb. shoulder. an unto me 5 form offering Or, them thy majesty that exult in that I have appointed concerning her they rose early and corrupted all their doings. 8 Therefore wait ye for me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my 'de- Heb. termination 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 9 of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the peoples a pure 'language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him 10 with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia 'my suppliants, even the daughter Or, shall they II of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In bring my supthat day shalt thou not be ashamed for all pliants, even the daughter thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed of my dispersed, against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee 'thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my 12 holy mountain. But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. 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 15 of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgements, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst 16 of thee: thou shalt not "fear evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: 'O Zion, let not thine hands be slack, the solemn 17 The LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, which I took a mighty one who will save: he will rejoice thee, for the over thee with joy, he will "rest in his love, he lifting up of 18 will joy over thee with singing. 'I will gather against her 13 7 Another reading is, see. Or, and to Heb. be Zion silent. • Or, They have been sorrowful for assembly away from reproach |