LEB ZEP book

Judah’s Impending Judgment

1 The word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah the 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 surely destroy everything from the face of the earth”—a declaration of Yahweh.
3 “I will destroy humanity and beast; I will destroy the birds of the sky
and the fish of the sea,
and the stumbling blocks[fn] with the wicked.

And I will cut off humankind
- from the face of the earth”—a declaration of Yahweh.
- 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,
- and the name of idolatrous priests with the priests,[fn]
- 5 and those who bow down on the rooftops to the host of heaven,
and those who bow down, swearing to Yahweh
- but also swearing by Milkom,[fn]
- 6 and those who turned back from following[fn] Yahweh, and who did not seek Yahweh,
- and did not inquire of him.”
- 7 Be silent before the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh draws near,
for Yahweh has provided a sacrifice
- and has consecrated his guests.
8 And it shall be that on the day of the sacrifice of Yahweh, I will punish the officials
- and the sons of the king
- and those who dress in foreign clothing.
- 9 And on that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold,
who fill up the house of their master
- with violence and deceit.
- 10 “And there shall be on that day”—a declaration of Yahweh— “a loud outcry[fn] from the Fish Gate,
and a wailing from the Second District,
- and a loud[fn] crashing from the hills.
- 11 The inhabitants of the Mortar shall wail, for all the traders have perished;
- all who trade with silver have been cut off.
12 And it shall be that at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
- whose senses are dulled from drinking ,[fn]
who say in their hearts,
- ‘Yahweh will not do good, nor will he do evil.’
- 13 Then their wealth shall be as plunder, and their homes as desolation.
And they shall build their houses and not inhabit them,
- and they shall plant vineyards and not drink their wine.”
- 14 The great day of Yahweh draws near; it is near and coming very swiftly.
The sound of the day of Yahweh is bitterness;
- there, a warrior cries out!
- 15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress,
- a day of disaster and ruination,
- a day of darkness and deep gloom,
- a day of clouds[fn] and thick clouds,[fn]
- 16 a day of trumpet and trumpet blast against the fortified cities
- and against the high corner towers.
- 17 And I will bring distress to all humankind, and they shall walk about like the blind,
for they sinned against Yahweh;
- their blood shall be poured out like dust
- and their entrails like dung.
- 18 Moreover, their silver and their gold will not be able to save them
- on the day of the wrath of Yahweh.
And in the fire of his zeal,
- the whole land shall be consumed,
for a terrifying end he shall make
- for all the inhabitants of the land.

Judgment of Judah’s Enemies

O nation having no shame!
2 Before the birth of the decree, the day flies away like chaff;

before the fierce anger of Yahweh overtakes you;
- before the day of the anger of Yahweh overtakes you.
- 3 Seek Yahweh, all you afflicted of the land who have fulfilled his law;
seek righteousness;
- seek humility.
Perhaps you will be concealed
- on the day of the anger of Yahweh.
- 4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon as a desolation.
As for Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away,
- and Ekron shall be uprooted.
- 5 Woe to you, inhabitants of the region of the sea, people of the Kerethites!
The word of Yahweh is against you,
- O Canaan, land of the Philistines.
I will destroy you until there is no inhabitant .[fn]
- 6 And you, O region of the sea, shall become pastures and meadows for shepherds
- and sheep pens for the flocks.
- 7 And it shall become a region for the remnant of the house of Judah;
- upon them they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
- they shall lie down in the evening.
For Yahweh their God shall be mindful of them,
- and he will restore their fortunes.
- 8 I have heard the reproaches of Moab and the scorning of the Ammonites ,[fn]
with which they have taunted my nation
- and made boasts against their territory.
- 9 “Therefore, as I live”—a declaration of Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel—
“Moab shall be as Sodom,
- and the Ammonites[fn] like Gomorrah,
a place of weeds and salt pits
- and a desolation forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
- and the remainder of my nation shall possess them.”
- 10 This shall be for them in place of their pride because they mocked and boasted
- against the people of Yahweh of hosts.
- 11 Yahweh will be awesome against them, for he will destroy all the gods of the earth
and all the lands[fn] of the nations;
- each in its place will bow down to him.
- 12 You also, O Cushites, they shall be killed by my sword.
- 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and he will destroy Assyria
and will make Nineveh a desolation,
- a dry wasteland like the desert.
- 14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, every wild animal of a nation;
even the desert owl and the screech owl
- shall lodge on her capitals.
A voice shall hoot in the window;
- rubble[fn] on the threshold;
for the cedar is laid bare.
- 15 This is the city of rejoicing that lived securely;
the one saying in her heart,
- “ I am, and there is none besides me .”[fn]
How she has become a desolation,
- a lair for wild animals!
Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.

Judgment of Jerusalem and the Nations

The oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice; she does not accept correction.

In Yahweh she does not trust;
- to her God she does not draw near.
- 3 Her officials in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves;
  - they leave nothing until the morning.
- 4 Her prophets are arrogant men of treachery; her priests have defiled that which is holy;
  - they do violence to the law.
- 5 Yahweh is righteous in her midst; he does not do wickedness.
Morning by morning[fn] he renders his judgment;
- at dawn he does not fail,
but an evil one knows no shame.
- 6 “I have cut off nations; their strongholds are deserted.
I have laid waste their streets,
- so that none pass through.
Their cities have been destroyed
- and are without a man, without an inhabitant.
- 7 I have said, ‘Surely she will fear me; she will accept discipline.
Then her dwelling place will not be cut down,
- nor all that I have brought upon her.’
Surely they rise early;
- they make all their deeds corrupt.
- 8 “Therefore, wait for me”—a declaration of Yahweh— “for the day of my rising as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
- to assemble[fn] kingdoms,
- to pour out my wrath upon them, all my burning anger.
For by the fire of my anger all the land shall be consumed.
- 9 Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure ;[fn] that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh,
- to serve him in unison .[fn]
- 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers and the daughter of my scattered ones
- shall bring my offering.
- 11 On that day you shall not be humiliated on account of all your deeds
- by which you have rebelled against me.
For then I shall remove from your midst
- those exulting in your pride,
and you shall no longer be haughty
- in my holy mountain .[fn]
- 12 And I will leave in your midst a people afflicted and poor,
and they shall take refuge
- in the name of Yahweh.
- 13 The remnant of Israel shall not do wickedness;
they shall not speak deception,
- nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.
For they shall graze and lie down,
- and none shall frighten them.”
- 14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Cry aloud, O Israel!
Rejoice and be jubilant with all your heart,
- O daughter of Jerusalem!
- 15 Yahweh has annulled your judgments; he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst;
- you shall no longer fear misfortune.
- 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, “Fear not, O Zion;
- your hands shall not hang limp.
- 17 Yahweh your God is in your midst; a mighty warrior who saves.
He shall rejoice over you with joy;
- he renews[fn] you in his love;
- he will exult over you with singing.
- 18 I will gather those of you grieving on account of the feast; they were raising against her a reproach.
- 19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors; I will save the lame and gather the outcast.
I will change[fn] them from shame
- to glory and renown[fn] throughout the whole world.
- 20 At that time I will bring you in; at the time of my gathering you together.
For I will make you renowned[fn] and praised
- among all the nations of the earth
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
- says Yahweh.

1:1 A reference to idols

1:1 The last phrase, “with the priests,” may be a later explanatory gloss

1:1 Or “their king”

1:1 Literally “after”

1:1 Literally “voice of a cry of distress”

1:1 Or “great”

1:1 Literally “who are thickened with their dregs”

1:1 Hebrew “cloud”

2:? Literally “from there is not an inhabitant”

2:? Literally “sons/children of Ammon”

2:? Or “islands”

2:? The traditional Hebrew text has “waste,” while LXX has “a raven,” reflecting a different word with one consonant changed

2:? Literally “I am and none me”

3:? Literally “In the morning, in the morning”

3:? The traditional Hebrew has “assemble me”; this translation follows LXX

3:? Literally “I will turn to the nations a purged lip”

3:? Literally “with one shoulder”

3:? Literally “the mountain of my holiness”

3:? The translation follows the LXX text; the traditional Hebrew text reads “he will silence you in his love”

3:? Or “make”

3:? Literally “a name”