Zephaniah 1

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

The word of the Lord comes to Zephaniah during the reign of King Josiah of Judah, announcing a total destruction of all life, beasts, idols, and wicked people from the face of the earth. The Lord specifically targets Judah and Jerusalem to eliminate remnants of Baal, pagan priests, rooftop star-worshipers, those swearing by both the Lord and Milcom, and individuals who have turned away from following Him. The text describes the approaching Day of the Lord as a time of sacrifice, punishment for princes and those wearing foreign apparel, and judgment against violent and deceitful people. Cries and wails are prophesied to arise from the Fish Gate, the Second District, the hills, and the Hollow, silencing merchants and punishing complacent citizens whose wealth will be plundered and houses laid waste. The chapter concludes by detailing the Day of the Lord as a time of wrath, trouble, darkness, battle cries against fortified cities, and severe distress where neither silver nor gold can deliver anyone from the fire of the Lord's jealousy.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah: ²“I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. ³“I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. ⁴“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests— ⁵those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, ⁶and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.” ⁷Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests. ⁸“On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the princes, the sons of the king, and all who are dressed in foreign apparel. ⁹On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit. ¹⁰On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills. ¹¹Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off. ¹²And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’ ¹³Their wealth will be plundered and their houses laid waste. They will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but never drink their wine. ¹⁴The great Day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter. ¹⁵That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, ¹⁶a day of horn blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. ¹⁷I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. ¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.