¶ The word¹ 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 days² of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

I will³ utterly consume all things from off the land⁴, saith the LORD.

I will consume man⁵ and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks⁶ with the wicked; and I⁷ will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

I will also stretch⁸ out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant⁹ of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims¹⁰ with the priests;

And them that worship¹¹ the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them¹² that worship and that¹³ swear by the LORD¹⁴, and that swear by¹⁵ Malcham¹⁶;

And them that are turned¹⁹ back from the LORD; and those²⁰ that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

¶ Hold thy²¹ peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day²² of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD²³ hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath²⁴ bid²⁵ his guests.

And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish²⁶ the princes²⁷, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange²⁸ apparel.

In the same day also will I punish all those²⁹ that leap³⁰ on the threshold, which³¹ fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

¶ And it shall come to pass in³² that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise³³ of a cry from the fish gate³⁴, and an howling from the second³⁵, and a great crashing from³⁶ the hills.

Howl³⁷, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the³⁸ merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

And it shall come to pass at that time, that I³⁹ will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men⁴⁰ that are settled⁴¹ on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

Therefore their goods⁴² shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build⁴³ houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

¶ The great⁴⁴ day of the LORD is near, it is⁴⁵ near, and hasteth greatly, even⁴⁶ the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty⁴⁷ man shall cry there bitterly.

That day is⁴⁸ a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness⁴⁹ and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

A day⁵⁰ of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against⁵¹ the high towers.

And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall⁵² walk like blind men, because⁵³ they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood⁵⁴ shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

Neither their silver⁵⁵ nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day⁵⁶ of the LORD'S wrath; but⁵⁷ the whole land shall be devoured by the fire⁵⁸ of his jealousy: for he shall⁵⁹ make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.