1 THE word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Helakiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 I will utterly remove all things from off the face of the earth, says the LORD.

3 I will remove man and beast; I will remove the fowls of the air and the fish of the sea; I will bring a stumbling block against the wicked; and I will destroy man from the face of the earth, says the LORD.

4 I will also stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will destroy the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the priests in charge, along with the priests;

5 And all of those who worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and all who worship and swear by the LORD and also swear by Malcom;

6 And those who are turned back from the LORD; and those who have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

7 Stand in awe at the presence of the LORD God; for the day of the LORD is at hand; yea, the LORD has prepared sacrifices, he has invited 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 in strange apparel.

9 In that day I will punish all those who do violence and those who plunder, who fill their storerooms with things acquired by means of extortion and deceit.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, says the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate and a wailing from the second gate and a great crashing from the hills.

11 Wail, O inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are confounded; all those who bear silver are cut off.

12 And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with a lamp and punish the men who despise their watchmen, who 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 very near, and hastens fast; even the voice of the day of the Lord; yea, it is bitter, harsh, and severe.

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of confusion and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 A day of the trumpet and shouting 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 like dust, and their flesh like 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 consumed in the fire of his indignation; for he shall make a speedy destruction against all the inhabitants of the earth.