19 Heb “Lord Lord.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (adonai yéhvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.”
20 Heb “the day of the Lord.” The origin of the concept of “the day of the Lord” is uncertain. It may have originated in the ancient Near Eastern idea of the sovereign’s day of conquest, where a king would boast that he had concluded an entire military campaign in a single day (see D. Stuart, “The Sovereign’s Day of Conquest,” 221 [1976]: 159–64). In the OT the expression is applied to several acts of divine judgment, some historical and others still future (see A. J. Everson, “The Days of Yahweh,” 93 [1974]: 329–37). In the OT the phrase first appears in Amos (assuming that Amos predates Joel and Obadiah), where it seems to refer to a belief on the part of the northern kingdom that God would intervene on Israel’s behalf and judge the nation’s enemies. Amos affirms that the Lord’s day of judgment is indeed approaching, but he declares that it will be a day of disaster, not deliverance, for Israel. Here in Zephaniah, the “day of the Lord” includes God’s coming judgment of Judah, as well as a more universal outpouring of divine anger.
21 Or “near.”
22 Heb “a sacrifice.” This same word also occurs in the following verse. Because a sacrificial meal presupposes the slaughter of animals, it is used here as a metaphor of the bloody judgment to come.
23 Or “consecrated” (, , , , ).
24 Or “officials” (, ); “leaders.”
25 The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.
26 The point of the statement all who hop over the threshold is unclear. A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5).
27 The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.
28 Heb “who fill … with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Be silent before the Lord God!

For the day of the Lord is near;

the Lord has prepared a sacrifice

and consecrated his guests.

And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—

“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and all who array themselves in foreign attire.

On that day I will punish

everyone who leaps over the threshold,

and those who fill their master’s house

with violence and fraud.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,

for the day of the Lord is near.

The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;

he has consecrated those he has invited.

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice

I will punish the officials

and the king’s sons

and all those clad

in foreign clothes.

On that day I will punish

all who avoid stepping on the threshold,

who fill the temple of their gods

with violence and deceit.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God,

for the day of the Lord is near.

Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;

he has consecrated his guests.

On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice

I will punish the officials, the king’s sons,

and all who are dressed in foreign clothing.

On that day I will punish

all who skip over the threshold,

who fill their master’s house

with violence and deceit.

NLTNew Living Translation

Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord,

for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near.

The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter

and has chosen their executioners.

“On that day of judgment,”

says the Lord,

“I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah

and all those following pagan customs.

Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies,

and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Be silent before the Lord Yahweh,

for the day of Yahweh draws near,

for Yahweh has provided a sacrifice

and has consecrated his guests.

And it will happen on the day of the sacrifice of Yahweh,

I will punish the officials,

and the sons of the king,

and all those who dress in foreign clothing.

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.

KJV 1900King James Version

Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God:

For the day of the Lord is at hand:

For the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice,

He hath bid his guests.

And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice,

That I will punish the princes, and the king’s children,

And all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold,

Which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

Public Domain