1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, *Jer. 1:2in the days of *2 Kgs. 22:1Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 *Jer. 8:13;[ver. 18; 2 Kgs. 22:16,17]"I will utterly sweep away everything

from the face of the earth," declares the Lord.

3 "I will sweep away *Hos. 4:3man and beast;

I will sweep away the birds of the heavens

and *Hos. 4:3the fish of the sea,

and *See Ezek. 7:19the rubble*1:3 Or stumbling blocks (that is, idols) with the wicked.

I will *Ezek. 14:17cut off mankind

from the face of the earth," declares the Lord.

4 "I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

*See 2 Kgs. 23:4and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal

and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,

5 *Jer. 19:13those who bow down on the roofs

to the host of the heavens,

*[1 Kgs. 18:21;2 Kgs. 17:33,41] those who bow down and swear to the Lord

and yet swear by *1 Kgs. 11:5,33Milcom,*1:5 Or their king

6 *Jer. 2:13,17;15:6those who have turned back from following the Lord,

*[Jer. 5:24;Heb. 11:6]who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him."

7 *[Hab. 2:20] Be silent before the Lord God!

For *[ver. 14]; See Joel 1:15the day of the Lord is near;

*Isa. 34:6;Jer. 46:10;Ezek. 39:17,19the Lord has prepared a sacrifice

and *1 Sam. 16:5consecrated his guests.

8 And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—

*2 Kgs. 24:12,14;25:7"I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and *[Matt. 22:11]all who array themselves in foreign attire.

9 On that day I will punish

everyone *[1 Sam. 5:5]who leaps over the threshold,

and those who fill their master’s*1:9 Or their Lord’s house

with violence and fraud.

10 "On that day," declares the Lord,

"a cry will be heard from *See 2 Chr. 33:14the Fish Gate,

*Zech. 11:3a wail from *2 Kgs. 22:14the Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills.

11 *Zech. 11:2;James 5:1Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!

For all the traders*1:11 Or all the people of Canaan are no more;

all who weigh out silver are cut off.

12 At that time *Amos 9:3I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

and I will punish the men

*Jer. 48:11;[Amos 6:1] who are complacent,*1:12 Hebrew are thickening on the dregs [of their wine]

*Ps. 94:7;Ezek. 8:12;Mal. 2:17;3:14,15those who say in their hearts,

‘The Lord will not do good,

nor will he do ill.’

13 Their goods shall be *Isa. 42:22plundered,

and their houses laid waste.

*See Amos 5:11Though they build houses,

they shall not inhabit them;

*See Mic. 6:15though they plant vineyards,

they shall not drink wine from them."

14 *[ver. 7; Ezek. 7:7,12] The great day of the Lord is near,

near and hastening fast;

the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;

*[Isa. 33:7]the mighty man cries aloud there.

15 *See Joel 1:15A day of wrath is that day,

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of *Job 30:3ruin and devastation,

*See Joel 2:2a day of darkness and gloom,

*See Joel 2:2a day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 *[Jer. 4:19] a day of trumpet blast and battle cry

*[Isa. 2:15]against the fortified cities

and against the lofty battlements.

17 *Jer. 10:18I will bring distress on mankind,

so that they shall walk *Deut. 28:29;Isa. 59:10like the blind,

because they have sinned against the Lord;

*Ps. 79:3their blood shall be poured out like dust,

and their flesh *[Ps. 83:10]like dung.

18 *Ezek. 7:19;[Prov. 11:4] Neither their silver nor their gold

shall be able to deliver them

on the day of the wrath of the Lord.

*[ch. 3:8] In the fire of his jealousy,

*Ezek. 36:5all the earth shall be consumed;

*[ver. 2, 3]for a full and sudden end

he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.