Bible (King James)/Zephaniah

==Chapter 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.
 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the
LORD.
 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.
 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;
 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;
 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that
have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
 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.
 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.
 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people
are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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,
 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and
against the high towers.
 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.
 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==
 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not
desired;
 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.
 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.
 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they
shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be
rooted up.
 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.
 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for
shepherds, and folds for flocks.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 This shall they have for their pride, because they have
reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the
LORD of hosts.
 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.
 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and
destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry
like a wilderness.
 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.
 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==
 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing
city!
 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she
trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are
evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests
have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the
law.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the
daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
 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.
 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor
people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
 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.
 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice
with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
 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.
 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and
to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
 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.
 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly,
who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
 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.
 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.