The Book of ZEPHANIAH

 ZEPHANIAH 1:1 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:2 I will utterly consume all {things} from off the

land, saith the Lord.

ZEPHANIAH 1:3 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:4 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;

ZEPHANIAH 1:5 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;

ZEPHANIAH 1:6 And them that are turned back from the Lord; and

{those} that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him.

ZEPHANIAH 1:7 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:8 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:9 In the same day also will I punish all those that

leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with

violence and deceit.

ZEPHANIAH 1:10 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the

merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut

off.

ZEPHANIAH 1:12 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:13 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:14 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.

ZEPHANIAH 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,

ZEPHANIAH 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced

cities, and against the high towers.

ZEPHANIAH 1:17 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.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O

nation not desired;

ZEPHANIAH 2:2 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:3 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a

desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and

Ekron shall be rooted up.

ZEPHANIAH 2:5 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings {and} cottages

for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

ZEPHANIAH 2:7 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:8 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:9 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:10 This shall they have for their pride, because they

have reproached and magnified {themselves} against the people of

the Lord of hosts.

ZEPHANIAH 2:11 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye {shall be} slain by my

sword.

ZEPHANIAH 2:13 And he will stretch out his hand against the

north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation,

{and} dry like a wilderness.

ZEPHANIAH 2:14 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.

ZEPHANIAH 2:15 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the

oppressing city!

ZEPHANIAH 3:2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not

correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her

God.

ZEPHANIAH 3:3 Her princes within her {are} roaring lions; her

judges {are} evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the

morrow.

ZEPHANIAH 3:4 Her prophets {are} light {and} treacherous persons:

her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence

to the law.

ZEPHANIAH 3:5 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:6 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:7 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:8 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:9 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants,

{even} the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

ZEPHANIAH 3:11 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an

afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of

the Lord.

ZEPHANIAH 3:13 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad

and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

ZEPHANIAH 3:15 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear

thou not: {and to} Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

ZEPHANIAH 3:17 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:18 I will gather {them that are} sorrowful for the

solemn assembly, {who} are of thee, {to whom} the reproach of it

{was} a burden.

ZEPHANIAH 3:19 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.

ZEPHANIAH 3:20 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.