猶大王亞們的兒子約西亞執政期間,耶和華對希西迦的玄孫、亞瑪利亞的曾孫、基大利的孫子、古示的兒子西番雅說:

耶和華審判的日子

「我必毀滅地上的一切。
這是耶和華說的。
我必毀滅人類、獸類、
天上的鳥和海裡的魚。
我必使惡人倒斃,
我必剷除地上的人類。
這是耶和華說的。

「我必伸手攻擊猶大,
以及所有住在耶路撒冷的人,
剷除巴力的餘跡及拜偶像之祭司的名號。
我必剷除那些在屋頂祭拜天上萬象的人,
剷除敬拜我、憑我起誓又憑米勒公起誓的人,
剷除離棄我、不尋求我、不求問我的人。」

要在主耶和華面前肅靜,
因為耶和華的日子近了。
耶和華已準備好祭物,
潔淨了祂邀請的人。
耶和華說:「在我獻祭的日子,
我必懲罰首領和王子,
以及所有穿外族服裝的人。
到那日,我必懲罰所有跳過門檻[a]
使主人的家充滿暴力和欺詐的人。
10 到那日,魚門必傳出哭喊聲,
新區必響起哀號聲,
山陵必發出崩裂的巨響。
這是耶和華說的。
11 市場區的居民啊,哀哭吧!
因為所有的商人必滅亡,
所有做買賣的必被剷除。
12 那時,我必提著燈巡查耶路撒冷,
懲罰那些安於罪中的人。
他們心想,『耶和華不賜福也不降禍。』
13 他們的財物必遭搶掠,
家園必淪為廢墟。
他們建造房屋,卻不能住在裡面;
栽種葡萄園,卻喝不到葡萄酒。

14 「耶和華的大日子近了,
近了,很快就到了。
那將是痛苦的日子,
勇士也必淒聲哀號。
15 那是降烈怒的日子,
是困苦艱難的日子,
是摧殘毀壞的日子,
是黑暗幽冥的日子,
是陰霾密佈的日子,
16 是吹號呐喊、
攻打堅城高壘的日子。

17 「我要使人們災難臨頭,
以致他們行路像瞎子,
因為他們得罪了我。
他們的血必被倒出,如同灰塵;
他們的屍體必被丟棄,如同糞便。
18 在耶和華發怒的日子,
他們的金銀救不了他們。
祂的怒火必吞噬大地,
祂必驟然毀滅一切世人。」

Footnotes

  1. 1·9 跳過門檻……的人」指祭拜偶像的人,參見撒母耳記上5·5

The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah(A) son of Amon(B) king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”(C)
declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away both man and beast;(D)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky(E)
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”[a]

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”(F)
declares the Lord,(G)
“I will stretch out my hand(H) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,(I)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests(J)
those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,(K)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,[b](L)
those who turn back from following(M) the Lord
    and neither seek(N) the Lord nor inquire(O) of him.”

Be silent(P) before the Sovereign Lord,
    for the day of the Lord(Q) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;(R)
    he has consecrated those he has invited.

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
    I will punish(S) the officials
    and the king’s sons(T)
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,[c](U)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.(V)

10 “On that day,(W)
    declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,(X)
    wailing(Y) from the New Quarter,
    and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail,(Z) you who live in the market district[d];
    all your merchants will be wiped out,
    all who trade with[e] silver will be destroyed.(AA)
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,(AB)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,(AC)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,(AD)
    either good or bad.’(AE)
13 Their wealth will be plundered,(AF)
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine.”(AG)

14 The great day of the Lord(AH) is near(AI)
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15 That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness(AJ) and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness(AK)
16     a day of trumpet and battle cry(AL)
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.(AM)

17 “I will bring such distress(AN) on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,(AO)
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out(AP) like dust
    and their entrails like dung.(AQ)
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”(AR)

In the fire of his jealousy(AS)
    the whole earth will be consumed,(AT)
for he will make a sudden end
    of all who live on the earth.(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  2. Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
  3. Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
  4. Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
  5. Zephaniah 1:11 Or in

The Great Day of the Lord(A)

The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of (B)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

The Great Day of the Lord

“I will [a]utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the Lord;
“I(C) will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the [b]stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the [c]land,”
Says the Lord.

“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
[d]I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the (D)idolatrous[e] priests with the pagan priests—
Those (E)who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord,
But who also swear (F)by [f]Milcom;
(G)Those who have turned back from following the Lord,
And (H)have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.”

(I)Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
(J)For the day of the Lord is at hand,
For (K)the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
He has [g]invited His guests.

“And it shall be,
In the day of the Lord’s sacrifice,
That I will punish (L)the princes and the king’s children,
And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
In the same day I will punish
All those who (M)leap over the threshold,
Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

10 “And there shall be on that day,” says the Lord,
“The sound of a mournful cry from (N)the Fish Gate,
A wailing from the Second Quarter,
And a loud crashing from the hills.
11 (O)Wail, you inhabitants of [h]Maktesh!
For all the merchant people are cut down;
All those who handle money are cut off.

12 “And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are (P)settled[i] in complacency,
(Q)Who say in their heart,
‘The Lord will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’
13 Therefore their goods shall become booty,
And their houses a desolation;
They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards, but (R)not drink their wine.”

14 (S)The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
15 (T)That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of (U)trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.

17 “I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall (V)walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse.”

18 (W)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 will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:2 Lit. make a complete end of, Jer. 8:13
  2. Zephaniah 1:3 Idols
  3. Zephaniah 1:3 ground
  4. Zephaniah 1:4 Fulfilled in 2 Kin. 23:4, 5
  5. Zephaniah 1:4 Heb. chemarim
  6. Zephaniah 1:5 Or Malcam, an Ammonite god, 1 Kin. 11:5; Jer. 49:1; Molech, Lev. 18:21
  7. Zephaniah 1:7 Lit. set apart, consecrated
  8. Zephaniah 1:11 A market district of Jerusalem, lit. Mortar
  9. Zephaniah 1:12 Lit. on their lees; like the dregs of wine