1 The message of the Eternal which came to Zephanlah the son of Kushi, the son of Geda- liah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 

I will make a clean sweep of the earth,

the Eternal declares,

3 

a clean sweep of man and beast, of bird and fish

[[idols and ungodly men,

a clean sweep of mankind from earth]].

4 

I will strike at Judah and at all dwellers in Jerusalem;

I will wipe out the last trace of Baal from this place,

and the very name of idol-priestlings,

5 

those who bow upon the roof to the stars in heaven,

the devotees of the Eternal who swear by Milkom,

6 

those who give up following the Eternal,

and those who seek not the Eternal, who never consult him;

8 

I will punish the officials and the royal house,

who by their violence and fraud enrich the palace;

9 

I will punish all who leap across the threshold,

and all arrayed in foreign garb,

10 

Hark! a scream from the Fish-gate,

a wail from the New Town!

Havoc on the Heights,

11 

a wail from the Hollow!

For all the traders are undone,

the merchants are wiped out.

12 

For I am searching Jerusalem with a lamp,

to punish careless men, living at ease,

who think the Eternal never does anything--

13 

so their goods shall be plundered,

their houses laid in ruins

[[they shall not live in the houses they build,

nor drink wine from the vineyards they plant]].

7 

Hush, ’tis the Lord the Eternal!

The Eternal’s day is at hand!

The Eternal has ready a victim for sacrifice,

and his guests are all prepared.

14 

The Eternal’s great day is near,

near, speeding apace!

The Eternal’s bitter day is near,

rushing on like a warrior!--

15 

a day of wrath, that day, of woe and anguish,

a day of stress and distress, darkness and gloom,

a day of cloud and thundercloud,

16 

a day of trumpet-blast and battle-cry

against towns fortified and ramparts high--

17 

when men must grope like blind men, desperately,

because against the Eternal they rebelled;

their blood shall be scattered like dust,

their flesh like dung;

18 

no silver and no gold avails

to protect them on the day of the Eternal’s anger,

when the fire of his fury consumes the whole earth;

for a full end, ay a fearful end,

will the Eternal make of all on earth.