Zephaniah 1

1 The word of the Lord, that was made to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 I gathering shall gather all things from the face of (the) earth, saith the Lord;
3 I gathering man and beast, I gathering volatiles of (the) heaven(s), and fishes of the sea; and fallings of unpious men shall be, and I shall lose men from the face of [the] earth, saith the Lord. (I shall gather people and beasts, and I shall gather the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea; and I shall bring the unrighteous, or the wicked, unto their downfall, or unto their knees, and I shall destroy all the people from off the face of the earth, saith the Lord.)
4 And I shall stretch out mine hand on Judah, and on all the dwellers of Jerusalem; and I shall lose from this place the remnants of Baal, and the names of keepers of [the] houses, with [the] priests; (And I shall stretch out my hand over Judah, and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I shall destroy from this place the last remnants of Baal, and the very names of the heathen priests;)
5 and them that worship on roofs the knighthood of heaven, and worship, and swear in the Lord, and swear in Malcham; (and those who worship upon rooftops the host of the heavens, and who worship, and swear by the Lord, and then also swear by Molech, or by Milcom;)
6 and which be turned away behind the back of the Lord, and which sought not the Lord, neither ensearched him. (and those who be turned away behind the back of the Lord, and those who did not seek the Lord, nor consulted him.)
7 Be ye still from the face of the Lord God, for nigh is the day of the Lord; for the Lord made ready a sacrifice, he hallowed his called men. (Be ye still before the face of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord hath made ready a sacrifice, and he hath consecrated, or hath dedicated, his chosen people.)
8 And it shall be, in the day of sacrifice of the Lord, I shall visit on princes, and on sons of the king, and on all that be clothed with pilgrims?, either strange, clothing. (And it shall be, on the day of the sacrifice of the Lord, I shall punish the leaders, and the king's sons, and all those who be clothed in foreign, or in strange, clothing.)
9 And I shall visit on each that proudly entereth on the threshold in that day, which fill the house of their Lord God with wickedness and guile. (And I shall punish all who proudly enter onto the threshold on that day, they who fill their lord's house with wickedness and deceit.)
10 And there shall be in that day, saith the Lord, a voice of cry from the gate of fishes, and yelling from the second gate, and great defouling from little hills. (And there shall be on that day, saith the Lord, loud cries from the Fish Gate, and yelling from the second gate, or from the second quarter, and great defiling from the little hills.)
11 Yell ye, dwellers of Pila; all the people of Canaan was still together, all men wrapped in silver perished. (Yell, ye inhabitants of Maktesh; and then all the merchant people were altogether silent, or perished, and also all those dealing in silver perished.)
12 And it shall be, in that time, I shall seek (throughout) Jerusalem with lanterns, and I shall visit on all men pitched in their dregs, which say in their hearts, The Lord shall not do well, and he shall not do evil. (And it shall be, at that time, I shall seek throughout Jerusalem with lanterns, and I shall punish all those pitched in their dregs, yea, those who say in their hearts, The Lord shall not do good, and he shall not do evil.)
13 And the strength of them shall be into ravishing, and the houses of them into desert; and they shall build houses, and shall not inhabit; and they shall plant vineyards, and they shall not drink the wine of them. (And their wealth shall be robbed, and their houses shall be made desolate, or deserted; and they shall build houses, but shall not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but they shall not drink their wine.)
14 Nigh is the great day of the Lord, nigh and swift full much; the voice of the day of the Lord is bitter, a strong man shall be in tribulation there. (The great day of the Lord is near, near and coming very swiftly, or very soon; the day of the Lord shall be bitter, the strong shall cry out in tribulation there.)
15 That day is a day of wrath, day of tribulation and anguish, day of neediness and wretchedness, day of darknesses and mist, day of cloud and whirlwind, (That day shall be a day of anger, a day of tribulation and anguish, a day of neediness and wretchedness, a day of darknesses and mist, a day of cloud and whirlwind,)
16 day of trump and of noise on strong cities and on high corners. (a day of trumpets and of battle cries against the fortified cities and the high towers.)
17 And I shall trouble men, and they shall walk as blind, for they have sinned against the Lord; and the blood of them shall be shed out as earth, and the bodies of them shall be as turds. (And I shall trouble people, and they shall walk as if they be blind, for they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their bodies shall be like turds.)
18 But the silver of them, and [the] gold of them, shall not be able to deliver them in the day of wrath of the Lord; in fire of his fervor all earth shall be devoured, for he shall make end with hasting to all men inhabiting the earth. (But their silver, and their gold, shall not be able to save them on the day of the Lord's anger; in the fire of his fervor all the earth shall be devoured, for he shall make a hasty end to all those who inhabit the earth.)

Zephaniah 1 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.