The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the LORD

“I will sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,”

declares the LORD.

“I will sweep away both man and beast;

I will sweep away the birds in the sky

and the fish in the sea—

and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”a

“When I destroy all mankind

on the face of the earth,”

declares the LORD,

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all who live in Jerusalem.

I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,

the very names of the idolatrous priests—

those who bow down on the roofs

to worship the starry host,

those who bow down and swear by the LORD

and who also swear by Molek,b

those who turn back from following the LORD

and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.”

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,c

who fill the temple of their gods

with violence and deceit.

“On that day,”

declares the LORD,

“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,

wailing from the New Quarter,

and a loud crash from the hills.

Wail, you who live in the market districtd;

all your merchants will be wiped out,

all who trade withe silver will be destroyed.

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps

and punish those who are complacent,

who are like wine left on its dregs,

who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing,

either good or bad.’

Their wealth will be plundered,

their houses demolished.

Though they build houses,

they will not live in them;

though they plant vineyards,

they will not drink the wine.”

The great day of the LORD is near—

near and coming quickly.

The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter;

the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.

That day will be a day of wrath—

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of trouble and ruin,

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness—

a day of trumpet and battle cry

against the fortified cities

and against the corner towers.

“I will bring such distress on all people

that they will grope about like those who are blind,

because they have sinned against the LORD.

Their blood will be poured out like dust

and their entrails like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold

will be able to save them

on the day of the LORD’s wrath.”

In the fire of his jealousy

the whole earth will be consumed,

for he will make a sudden end

of all who live on the earth.

Judah Summoned to Repent

Gather together, gather yourselves together,

you shameful nation,

before the decree takes effect

and that day passes like windblown chaff,

before the LORD’s fierce anger

comes upon you,

before the day of the LORD’s wrath

comes upon you.

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,

you who do what he commands.

Seek righteousness, seek humility;

perhaps you will be sheltered

on the day of the LORD’s anger.

Philistia

Gaza will be abandoned

and Ashkelon left in ruins.

At midday Ashdod will be emptied

and Ekron uprooted.

Woe to you who live by the sea,

you Kerethite people;

the word of the LORD is against you,

Canaan, land of the Philistines.

He says, “I will destroy you,

and none will be left.”

The land by the sea will become pastures

having wells for shepherds

and pens for flocks.

That land will belong

to the remnant of the people of Judah;

there they will find pasture.

In the evening they will lie down

in the houses of Ashkelon.

The LORD their God will care for them;

he will restore their fortunes.a

Moab and Ammon

“I have heard the insults of Moab

and the taunts of the Ammonites,

who insulted my people

and made threats against their land.

Therefore, as surely as I live,”

declares the LORD Almighty,

the God of Israel,

“surely Moab will become like Sodom,

the Ammonites like Gomorrah—

a place of weeds and salt pits,

a wasteland forever.

The remnant of my people will plunder them;

the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”

This is what they will get in return for their pride,

for insulting and mocking

the people of the LORD Almighty.

The LORD will be awesome to them

when he destroys all the gods of the earth.

Distant nations will bow down to him,

all of them in their own lands.

Cush

“You Cushites,b too,

will be slain by my sword.”

Assyria

He will stretch out his hand against the north

and destroy Assyria,

leaving Nineveh utterly desolate

and dry as the desert.

Flocks and herds will lie down there,

creatures of every kind.

The desert owl and the screech owl

will roost on her columns.

Their hooting will echo through the windows,

rubble will fill the doorways,

the beams of cedar will be exposed.

This is the city of revelry

that lived in safety.

She said to herself,

“I am the one! And there is none besides me.”

What a ruin she has become,

a lair for wild beasts!

All who pass by her scoff

and shake their fists.

Jerusalem

Woe to the city of oppressors,

rebellious and defiled!

She obeys no one,

she accepts no correction.

She does not trust in the LORD,