Chapter 1
1 The word of Yahweh which was addressed to Zephaniah, son of Chusi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 I will remove everything from the face of the earth, — declares the Lord;
3 I will sweep away men and beasts, I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked, and I will wipe man off the face of the earth, — declares the Lord.
4 And I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal, the name of his ministers at the same time as the priests;
5 and those who bow down on the rooftops before the host of heaven; and those who bow down, swearing an oath to Yahweh, while swearing by their king;
6 and those who turn away from Yahweh, who do not seek Yahweh, and do not care for him.
7 Silence before the Lord Yahweh! For the day of Yahweh is near; for Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests.
8 And it will come to pass: On the day of the sacrifice of Yahweh, I will punish the princes, and the sons of kings, and all who wear foreign garments.
9 And on that day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master's house with violence and fraud.
10 And it will happen on that day—declares the Lord: From the Fish Gate will come cries, from the second city groans, and a great crashing from the hills.
11 Wail, inhabitants of Mortar, for all the people of Canaan are destroyed, all those who are laden with silver are exterminated.
12 And it will happen at that time: I will search Jerusalem with lanterns, and I will punish the men stuck in their ways, who say in their hearts, »The Lord does neither good nor evil!«
13 Their possessions will be given over to plunder, and their houses to desolation; they will build houses, but they will not live in them; they will plant vineyards, but they will not drink the wine.
14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, it is coming quickly! It is heard coming, the day of the Lord! The brave man will cry out bitterly on it.
15 That day was a day of fury, a day of anguish and affliction, a day of desolation and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick fog,
16 a day of trumpet blasts and alarm, over the fortified cities and high battlements.
17 I will bring distress upon mankind, and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh; their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them; on the day of the wrath of Yahweh, by the fire of his jealousy, the whole earth will be devoured; for he will bring total destruction, sudden ruin, upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
Chapter 2
1. Gather yourselves, turn inward, shameless race,
2 before the decree has given birth, before the day has passed like chaff; before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you.
3 Seek Yahweh, YOU All you humble people of the land, who have practiced its law; seek justice, seek justice.’humility. Perhaps you will be safe on the day of Yahweh's wrath!
4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon reduced to a desert; Azotus will be driven out at midday, and Hararon will be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the sea region, to the nation of Crete! The word of the Lord is pronounced against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: »And I will destroy you so that it will not you There are no more inhabitants left.«
6 The sea region will become pastures, shepherds' caves and sheep parks.
7 This will be a territory for the remnant of the house of Judah; they will graze there their herds ; In the evening, they will take up residence in the houses of Ashkelon, for Yahweh, their God, will visit them and restore them.
8 I have heard the insults of Moab, and the outrages of the sons of Ammon, who insulted my people, and enlarged themselves at the expense of its borders.
9 Therefore, as surely as I live—declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel—Moab will become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah: a place overgrown with nettles, a salt mine, a desolate wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder it, and the survivors of my nation will inherit it.
10 This gives them will arrive for their pride, because they were contemptuous and insolent against the people of Yahweh of armies.
11 Yahweh will be an object of terror to them, for he will destroy all the gods of the earth; and before him will bow down, each from his own place, the inhabitants of all the islands of the nations.
12 You too, Ethiopians!… They will be pierced by my sword.
13 He will also stretch out his hand against the north, he will destroy Assyria, and he will make Nineveh a desolate wasteland, as dry as the desert.
14 In the midst of it will take up their dwelling herds, animals of every kind; even the pelican, even the hedgehog will lodge on its capitals; singing will be heard in the windows, desolation will be on the threshold, for the cedar woodwork has been laid bare.
15 This is the joyous city, seat with assurance, who said in his heart: "I, and there is no one but me!" How has it become a desolate place, a dwelling for beasts? Whoever passes over it will hiss and wave his hand.
Chapter 3
1 Woe to the rebellious and defiled city, to the oppressed city!
2 She did not listen to any voice, she did not accept any warning; she did not trust in Yahweh, she did not draw near to her God.
3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions, her judges are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.
4 His prophets are boastful, treacherous men; his priests profane holy things, they violate the law.
5 The Lord is righteous in her midst; he does no injustice. Every morning he brings out his justice, to give the light, without ever failing it; but the wicked know no shame!
6 I have exterminated nations; their towers have been destroyed; I have devastated their streets, so that no one can pass through them; their cities have been laid waste, so that there is no stay nobody, no inhabitants.
7 I said, »At least you will fear me and accept the warning, and his dwelling will not be destroyed, according to all that I have decided concerning him.» But they were only more eager to pervert all their deeds.
8 Therefore wait for me, declares the Lord, for the day when I rise up to seize the spoils! For it is my purpose to gather the nations, to assemble the kingdoms, to pour out on them my fury, all my fierce anger. For in the fire of my jealousy, the whole earth shall be devoured.
9 For then I will give to the peoples pure lips, that they may all call on the name of Yahweh and serve him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring my offering.
11 On that day you will no longer be ashamed of all your deeds by which you have sinned against me; for then I will remove from among you those who rejoiced arrogantly; and you will no longer be proud on my holy mountain.
12 I will leave in your midst a humble and lowly people, who will trust in the name of Yahweh.
13 The remnant of Israel will not commit iniquity, nor will they speak lies, nor will deceitful tongues be found in their mouths anymore. For they will graze and lie down, and no one will disturb them.
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!
15 Yahweh has withdrawn the judgments doors He has turned away your enemy from you. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will see no more harm!
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, Zion, lest your hands hang limp!
17 Yahweh, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior! He will burst into song for you; he will be silent in his love; he will exult for you with shouts of joy.
18 I will gather those who are in sorrow, deprived of solemn feasts; for they were of your people, reproach weighs upon them.
19 At that time I will put an end to all your oppressors; I will save the lame, and I will gather the rejected, and I will make them glorious and renowned in all the countries where they have been despised.
20 At that time I will bring you back; and at the time when I gather you together, I will make you renowned and glorious among all the peoples of the earth, when I end your captivity before your eyes, says Yahweh.
