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The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, 1in the days of 2Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Coming Judgment on Judah
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"I will sweep away 4man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and 5the fish of the sea, and 6the rubblea with the wicked. I will 7cut off mankind from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
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"I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 8and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
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9those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, 10those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by 11Milcom,
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12those who have turned back from following the LORD, 13who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him."
The Day of the Lord Is Near
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14Be silent before the Lord GOD! For 15the day of the LORD is near; 16the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and 17consecrated his guests.
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And on the day of the LORD's sacrifice-- 18"I will punish the officials and the king's sons and 19all who array themselves in foreign attire.
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On that day I will punish everyone 20who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master'sb house with violence and fraud.
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"On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will be heard from 21the Fish Gate, 22a wail from 23the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.
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24Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the tradersc are no more; all who weigh out silver are cut off.
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At that time 25I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men 26who are complacent,d 27those who say in their hearts, 'The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.'
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Their goods shall be 28plundered, and their houses laid waste. 29Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; 30though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them."
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31The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; 32the mighty man cries aloud there.
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33A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of 34ruin and devastation, 35a day of darkness and gloom, 36a day of clouds and thick darkness,
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37a day of trumpet blast and battle cry 38against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)