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The Holy
Bible
Zephaniah
Chapter 1
1 The word of the LORD
which came unto Zephaniah the son
of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah,
the son of Amariah, the son of
Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah
the son of Amon, king of
Judah.
2 I will utterly consume
all things from off the land,
saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and
beast; I will consume the fowls
of the heaven, and the fishes of
the sea, and the stumblingblocks
with the wicked; and I will cut
off man from off the land, saith
the LORD.
4 I will also stretch out
mine hand upon Judah, and upon
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off the remnant of
Baal from this place, and the
name of the Chemarims with the
priests;
5 And them that worship
the host of heaven upon the
housetops; and them that worship
and that swear by the LORD, and
that swear by Malcham;
6 And them that are turned
back from the LORD; and those
that have not sought the LORD,
nor inquired for him.
7 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.
8 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.
9 In the same day also
will I punish all those that leap
on the threshold, which fill
their masters' houses with
violence and deceit.
10 And it shall come to
pass in that day, saith the LORD,
that there shall be the noise of
a cry from the fish gate, and an
howling from the second, and a
great crashing from the
hills.
11 Howl, ye inhabitants of
Maktesh, for all the merchant
people are cut down; all they
that bear silver are cut off.
12 And it shall come to
pass at that time, that I will
search Jerusalem with candles,
and punish the men that are
settled on their lees: that say
in their heart, The LORD will not
do good, neither will he do
evil.
13 Therefore their goods
shall become a booty, and their
houses a desolation: they shall
also build houses, but not
inhabit them; and they shall
plant vineyards, but not drink
the wine thereof.
14 The great day of the
LORD is near, it is near, and
hasteth greatly, even the voice
of the day of the LORD: the
mighty man shall cry there
bitterly.
15 That day is a day of
wrath, a day of trouble and
distress, a day of wasteness and
desolation, a day of darkness and
gloominess, a day of clouds and
thick darkness,
16 A day of the trumpet
and alarm against the fenced
cities, and against the high
towers.
17 And I will bring
distress upon men, that they
shall walk like blind men,
because they have sinned against
the LORD: and their blood shall
be poured out as dust, and their
flesh as the dung.
18 Neither their silver
nor their gold shall be able to
deliver them in the day of the
LORD's wrath; but the whole land
shall be devoured by the fire of
his jealousy: for he shall make
even a speedy riddance of all
them that dwell in the land.
Chapter 2
1 Gather yourselves
together, yea, gather together, O
nation not desired;
2 Before the decree bring
forth, before the day pass as the
chaff, before the fierce anger of
the LORD come upon you, before
the day of the LORD's anger come
upon you.
3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye
meek of the earth, which have
wrought his judgment; seek
righteousness, seek meekness: it
may be ye shall be hid in the day
of the LORD's anger.
4 For Gaza shall be
forsaken, and Ashkelon a
desolation: they shall drive out
Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron
shall be rooted up.
5 Woe unto the inhabitants
of the sea coast, the nation of
the Cherethites! the word of the
LORD is against you; O Canaan,
the land of the Philistines, I
will even destroy thee, that
there shall be no inhabitant.
6 And the sea coast shall
be dwellings and cottages for
shepherds, and folds for
flocks.
7 And the coast shall be
for the remnant of the house of
Judah; they shall feed thereupon:
in the houses of Ashkelon shall
they lie down in the evening: for
the LORD their God shall visit
them, and turn away their
captivity.
8 I have heard the
reproach of Moab, and the
revilings of the children of
Ammon, whereby they have
reproached my people, and
magnified themselves against
their border.
9 Therefore as I live,
saith the LORD of hosts, the God
of Israel, Surely Moab shall be
as Sodom, and the children of
Ammon as Gomorrah, even the
breeding of nettles, and
saltpits, and a perpetual
desolation: the residue of my
people shall spoil them, and the
remnant of my people shall
possess them.
10 This shall they have
for their pride, because they
have reproached and magnified
themselves against the people of
the LORD of hosts.
11 The LORD will be
terrible unto them: for he will
famish all the gods of the earth;
and men shall worship him, every
one from his place, even all the
isles of the heathen.
12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye
shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out
his hand against the north, and
destroy Assyria; and will make
Nineveh a desolation, and dry
like a wilderness.
14 And flocks shall lie
down in the midst of her, all the
beasts of the nations: both the
cormorant and the bittern shall
lodge in the upper lintels of it;
their voice shall sing in the
windows; desolation shall be in
the thresholds: for he shall
uncover the cedar work.
15 This is the rejoicing
city that dwelt carelessly, that
said in her heart, I am, and
there is none beside me: how is
she become a desolation, a place
for beasts to lie down in! every
one that passeth by her shall
hiss, and wag his hand.
Chapter 3
1 Woe to her that is
filthy and polluted, to the
oppressing city!
2 She obeyed not the
voice; she received not
correction; she trusted not in
the LORD; she drew not near to
her God.
3 Her princes within her
are roaring lions; her judges are
evening wolves; they gnaw not the
bones till the morrow.
4 Her prophets are light
and treacherous persons: her
priests have polluted the
sanctuary, they have done
violence to the law.
5 The just LORD is in the
midst thereof; he will not do
iniquity: every morning doth he
bring his judgment to light, he
faileth not; but the unjust
knoweth no shame.
6 I have cut off the
nations: their towers are
desolate; I made their streets
waste, that none passeth by:
their cities are destroyed, so
that there is no man, that there
is none inhabitant.
7 I said, Surely thou wilt
fear me, thou wilt receive
instruction; so their dwelling
should not be cut off, howsoever
I punished them: but they rose
early, and corrupted all their
doings.
8 Therefore wait ye upon
me, saith the LORD, until the day
that I rise up to the prey: for
my determination is to gather the
nations, that I may assemble the
kingdoms, to pour upon them mine
indignation, even all my fierce
anger: for all the earth shall be
devoured with the fire of my
jealousy.
9 For then will I turn to
the people a pure language, that
they may all call upon the name
of the LORD, to serve him with
one consent.
10 From beyond the rivers
of Ethiopia my suppliants, even
the daughter of my dispersed,
shall bring mine offering.
11 In that day shalt thou
not be ashamed for all thy
doings, wherein thou hast
transgressed against me: for then
I will take away out of the midst
of thee them that rejoice in thy
pride, and thou shalt no more be
haughty because of my holy
mountain.
12 I will also leave in
the midst of thee an afflicted
and poor people, and they shall
trust in the name of the
LORD.
13 The remnant of Israel
shall not do iniquity, nor speak
lies; neither shall a deceitful
tongue be found in their mouth:
for they shall feed and lie down,
and none shall make them
afraid.
14 Sing, O daughter of
Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad
and rejoice with all the heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The LORD hath taken
away thy judgments, he hath cast
out thine enemy: the king of
Israel, even the LORD, is in the
midst of thee: thou shalt not see
evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be
said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not:
and to Zion, Let not thine hands
be slack.
17 The LORD thy God in the
midst of thee is mighty; he will
save, he will rejoice over thee
with joy; he will rest in his
love, he will joy over thee with
singing.
18 I will gather them that
are sorrowful for the solemn
assembly, who are of thee, to
whom the reproach of it was a
burden.
19 Behold, at that time I
will undo all that afflict thee:
and I will save her that halteth,
and gather her that was driven
out; and I will get them praise
and fame in every land where they
have been put to shame.
20 At that time will I
bring you again, even in the time
that I gather you: for I will
make you a name and a praise
among all people of the earth,
when I turn back your captivity
before your eyes, saith the
LORD.
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