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- 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 stumbling blocks 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 enquired 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.
-