Zephaniah 1:4-13 - The Lord Will Judge Judah
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“I will also stretch out My hand [in judgment] against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will cut off and destroy the remnant of
And the names and remembrance of the idolatrous priests along with the [false] priests,
And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars]
And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],
And those who have turned back from following the Lord,
And those who have not sought the Lord [as their most important need] or inquired of Him.”
[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord God [there is no acceptable excuse to offer]!
For the day [of the vengeance] of the Lord is near,
For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice (Judah),
He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon].
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“Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
That I will punish the princes and the king’s sons
And all who are clothed in [lavish] foreign apparel [reflecting their paganism].
“On that day I will also punish all those who
Who fill their [pagan] lord’s temple with violence and deceit.
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“On that day,” declares the Lord,
“There will be the sound of crying from the Fish (Damascus) Gate [in the northern wall of Jerusalem where invaders enter]
And wailing from the
And a loud crash from the hills.
“Wail [in anguish], you inhabitants of the
For all the merchants of Canaan will be silenced and destroyed;
All who weigh out silver will be cut off.
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“It will come about at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps
And I will punish the men
Who [like old wine] are stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’
“Furthermore, their wealth will become plunder
And their houses a desolation.
Yes, they will build houses but not live in them,
And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”