ACV - Zephaniah

Chapter 1

1:1  The word of Jehovah 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.

1:2  I will utterly consume all things from off the face of the ground, says Jehovah.

1:3  I will consume man and beast. I will consume the birds of the heavens, 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, says Jehovah.

1:4  And I will stretch out my 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 Chemarim with the priests,

1:5  and those who worship the host of heaven upon the housetops, and those who worship, who swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam,

1:6  and those who are turned back from following Jehovah, and those who have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him.

1:7  Hold thy peace at the presence of the lord Jehovah, for the day of Jehovah is at hand. For Jehovah has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.

1:8  And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah's sacrifice, that I will punish the rulers, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

1:9  And in that day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master's house with violence and deceit.

1:10  And in that day, says Jehovah, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills.

1:11  Wail, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone. All those who were laden with silver are cut off.

1:12  And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are settled on their lees, who say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, nor will he do evil.

1:13  And their wealth shall 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 of it.

1:14  The great day of Jehovah is near. It is near and hastens greatly, the voice of the day of Jehovah. The mighty man cries there bitterly.

1:15  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,

1:16  a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.

1:17  And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah, and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.

1:18  Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah's wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. For he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land.

Chapter 2

2:1  Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that has no shame;

2:2  before the decree bring forth, before the day passes as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah comes upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger comes upon you.

2:3  Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth who have kept his ordinances. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. It may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.

2:4  For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

2:5  Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines. I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

2:6  And the seacoast shall be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks.

2:7  And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They shall feed their flocks upon it. In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down in the evening. For Jehovah their God will visit them, and bring back their captivity.

2:8  I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the sons of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.

2:9  Therefore as I live, says Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them.

2:10  They shall have this for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts.

2:11  Jehovah will be terrible to them, for he will famish all the gods of the earth. And men shall worship him, everyone from his place, even all the isles of the nations.

2:12  Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.

2:13  And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness.

2:14  And 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 capitals of it. Their voice shall sing in the windows. Desolation shall be in the thresholds. For he has laid bare the cedar work.

2:15  This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me. How she has become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

Chapter 3

3:1  Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city!

3:2  She obeyed not the voice. She received not correction. She trusted not in Jehovah. She did not draw near to her God.

3:3  Her rulers in the midst of her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing till the morrow.

3:4  Her prophets are airy and treacherous men. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.

3:5  Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous. He will not do iniquity. Every morning he brings his justice to light. He does not fail, but the unjust man knows no shame.

3:6  I have cut off nations. Their battlements are desolate. I have made their streets waste, so that none passes by. Their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.

3:7  I said, Only fear thou me. Receive correction, so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they rose early and corrupted all their doings.

3:8  Therefore wait ye for me, says Jehovah, 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 my indignation, even all my fierce anger. For all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

3:9  For then I will turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent.

3:10  From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring my offering.

3:11  In that day thou shall not be put to shame for all thy doings, in which thou have transgressed against me. For then I will take away out of the midst of thee those who rejoice in thy pride, and thou shall no more be haughty in my holy mountain.

3:12  But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah.

3:13  The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. For they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

3:14  Sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

3:15  Jehovah has taken away thy judgments. He has cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee. Thou shall not fear evil any more.

3:16  In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not, O Zion. Let not thy hands be slack.

3:17  Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing.

3:18  I will gather those who sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee, to whom the burden upon her was a reproach.

3:19  Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict thee. And I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away, and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame has been in all the earth.

3:20  At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you. For I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, says Jehovah.