Zephaniah 1:7–18

⁷Be silent in front of me.

I am the Lord and King.

The day of the Lord is near.

I have prepared a sacrifice.

I have set apart for myself

the people I invited.

⁸When my sacrifice is ready to be offered,

I will punish the princes and the king’s sons.

I will also judge all those who follow

the practices of other nations.

⁹At that time I will punish

all those who worship other gods.

They fill the temples of their gods

with lies and other harmful things.

¹⁰“At that time people at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem

will cry out,” announces the Lord.

“So will those at the New Quarter.

The buildings on the hills will come crashing down

with a loud noise.

¹¹Cry out, you who live in the market places.

All of your merchants will be wiped out.

Those who trade in silver will be destroyed.

¹²At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps.

I will punish those who are so contented.

They are like wine that has not been shaken up.

They think, ‘The Lord won’t do anything.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad.’

¹³Their wealth will be stolen.

Their houses will be destroyed.

They will build houses.

But they will not live in them.

They will plant vineyards.

But they will not drink the wine they produce.

The Day of the Lord Is Coming

¹⁴“The great day of the Lord is near.

In fact, it is coming quickly.

Listen! The cries on that day will be bitter.

Even soldiers will cry out in fear.

¹⁵At that time I will pour out my anger.

There will be great suffering and pain.

It will be a day of horrible trouble.

It will be a time of darkness and gloom.

It will be filled with the blackest clouds.

¹⁶Trumpet blasts and battle cries will be heard.

Soldiers will attack cities

that have forts and corner towers.

¹⁷I will bring trouble on the people.

They will trip and fall as if they were blind.

They have sinned against me.

Their blood will be poured out like dust.

Their bodies will lie rotting on the ground.

¹⁸Their silver and gold

will not be able to save them

on the day I pour out my anger.

The whole world will be burned up

when my jealous anger blazes out.

Everyone who lives on earth

will come to a sudden end.”