The word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

"I will surely destroy everything from the face of the earth"--a declaration of Yahweh.

"I will destroy humanity and beast; I will destroy the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked. And I will cut off humankind from the face of the earth"--a declaration of Yahweh.

and those who bow down on the rooftops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down, swearing to Yahweh but [also] swearing by Milkom,

and those who turned back from {following} Yahweh, and who did not seek Yahweh, and did not inquire of him."

Be silent before the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh draws near, for Yahweh has provided a sacrifice and has consecrated his guests.

And it shall be [that] on the day of the sacrifice of Yahweh, I will punish the officials and the sons of the king and those who dress in foreign clothing.

"And there shall be on that day"--a declaration of Yahweh-- "a {loud outcry} from the Fish Gate, and a wailing from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills.

And it shall be [that] at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men {whose senses are dulled from drinking}, who say in their hearts, 'Yahweh will not do good, nor will he do evil.'

The great day of Yahweh draws near; [it is] near and [coming] very swiftly. The sound of the day of Yahweh [is] bitterness; there, a warrior cries out!

And I will bring distress to all humankind, and they shall walk about like the blind, for they sinned against Yahweh; their blood shall be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung.

Moreover, their silver and their gold will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of Yahweh. And in the fire of his zeal, the whole land shall be consumed, for a terrifying end he shall make [for] all the inhabitants of the land.

Before the birth of the decree, the day flies away like chaff; before the fierce anger of Yahweh overtakes you; before the day of the anger of Yahweh overtakes you.

Seek Yahweh, all you afflicted of the land who have fulfilled his law; seek righteousness; seek humility. Perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the anger of Yahweh.

Woe [to you], inhabitants of the region of the sea, people of the Kerethites! The word of Yahweh [is] against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy you {until there is no inhabitant}.

And it shall become a region for the remnant of the house of Judah; upon them they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down in the evening. For Yahweh their God shall be mindful of them, and he will restore their fortunes.

"Therefore, as I live"--a declaration of Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel-- "Moab shall be as Sodom, and the {Ammonites} like Gomorrah, a place of weeds and salt pits and a desolation forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the remainder of my nation shall possess them."

This [shall be] for them in place of their pride because they mocked and boasted against the people of Yahweh of hosts.

Yahweh [will be] awesome against them, for he will destroy all the gods of the earth and all the lands of the nations; each in its place will bow down to him.

She listens to no voice; she does not accept correction. In Yahweh she does not trust; to her God she does not draw near.

Yahweh [is] righteous in her midst; he does not do wickedness. {Morning by morning} he renders his judgment; at dawn he does not fail, but an evil one knows no shame.

"Therefore, wait for me"--a declaration of Yahweh-- "for the day of my rising as a witness. For my decision [is] to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out my wrath upon them, all my burning anger. For by the fire of my anger all the land shall be consumed.

Because then I will {make the speech of the nations pure}; that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him {in unison}.

And I will leave in your midst a people afflicted and poor, and they shall take refuge in the name of Yahweh.

Yahweh has annulled your judgments; he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, Yahweh, [is] in your midst; you shall no longer fear misfortune.

Yahweh your God [is] in your midst; a mighty warrior who saves. He shall rejoice over you with joy; he renews you in his love; he will exult over you with singing.

At that time I will bring you [in]; at the time of my gathering you [together]. For I will make you {renowned} and praised among all the nations of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes," says Yahweh.