Sins and Destruction

Zephaniah 1:1–17

Biblical Period

1The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.

2I will sweep everything away
From the face of the earth
—declares the Lord.
3I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the sky
And the fish of the sea.
I will make the wicked stumble,
And I will destroy mankind
From the face of the earth
—declares the Lord.
4I will stretch out My arm against Judah
And against all who dwell in Jerusalem;
And I will wipe out from this place
Every vestige of Baal,
And the name of the priestlingsa along with the priests;
5And those who bow down on the roofs
To the host of heaven;
And those who bow down and swear to the Lord
But also swear by Malcam;b
6And those who have forsaken the Lord,
And those who have not sought the Lord
And have not turned to Him.
7Be silent before my Lord God,
For the day of the Lord is approaching;
For the Lord has prepared a c-sacrificial feast,-c
Has bidden His guests purify themselves.
8And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
I will punish the officials
And the king’s sons,d
e-And all who don a foreign vestment.
9I will also punish on that day
Everyone who steps over the threshold,-e
Who fill their master’sfpalace
With lawlessness and fraud.
10In that day there shall be
—declares the Lord—
A loud outcry from the Fish Gate,
And howling from the Mishneh,g
And a sound of great anguish from the hills.
11The dwellers of the Machteshh howl;
For all the tradesmen have perished,
All who weigh silver are wiped out.
12At that time,
I will search Jerusalem with lamps;
And I will punish the men
Who rest untroubled on their lees,
Who say to themselves,
“The Lord will do nothing, good or bad.”
13Their wealth shall be plundered
And their homes laid waste.
They shall build houses and not dwell in them,
Plant vineyards and not drink their wine.
14The great day of the Lord is approaching,
Approaching most swiftly.
Hark, the day of the Lord!
It is bitter:
There a warrior shrieks!
15That day shall be a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of calamity and desolation,
A day of darkness and deep gloom,
A day of densest clouds,
16A day of horn blasts and alarms—
Against the fortified towns
And the lofty corner towers.
17I will bring distress on the people,
And they shall walk like blind men,
Because they sinned against the Lord;
Their blood shall be spilled like dust,
And their fat like dung.

Notes

Heb. kemarim, a term used only of priests of heathen gods.

Apparently identical with “Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.”

I.e., a slaughter of sinners.

Apparently brothers of King Amon, who exercised influence during the minority of King Josiah (2 Kings 22:1).

Apparently references to two customs of heathen worship.

I.e., King Josiah’s.

A quarter of Jerusalem.

Another quarter of Jerusalem.

Credits

Reprinted from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.

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Related Guide

The Prophets Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah

Many minor prophets connected Israel and Judah’s fortunes to the Israelites’ relationship with God.

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