Zephaniah 1:1–12

1^*This is the message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah during the time that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. (Zephaniah was descended from King Hezekiah through Amariah, Gedaliah, and Cushi.)

The Day of the ’s Judgement

²The Lord said, “I am going to destroy everything on earth, ³all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of^a the wicked. I will destroy the whole human race, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord, have spoken.

⁴“I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him. ⁵I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech. ⁶I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them.”

⁷The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgement; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. ⁸“On that day of slaughter,” says the Lord, “I will punish the officials, the king’s sons, and all who practice foreign customs. ⁹I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master’s house^b with loot.

¹⁰“On that day,” says the Lord, “you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills. ¹¹Wail and cry when you hear this, you that live in the lower part of the city, because all the merchants will be dead!

¹²“At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, ‘The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.’