Zephaniah 1-2

New International Version

1 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

²“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”^(C)
declares the Lord.
³“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)
⁴“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)—
⁵those 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)
⁶those who turn back from following^(M) the Lord
    and neither seek^(N) the Lord nor inquire^(O) of him.”

⁷Be 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.

⁸“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.
⁹On 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.
¹¹Wail,^(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)
¹²At 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)
¹³Their 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)

¹⁴The 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.
¹⁵That 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)
¹⁸Neither 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)

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations

Judah Summoned to Repent

2 Gather together,^(AV) gather yourselves together,
    you shameful^(AW) nation,
²before the decree takes effect
    and that day passes like windblown chaff,^(AX)
before the Lord’s fierce anger^(AY)
    comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath^(AZ)
    comes upon you.
³Seek^(BA) the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness,^(BB) seek humility;^(BC)
    perhaps you will be sheltered^(BD)
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Philistia

⁴Gaza^(BE) will be abandoned
    and Ashkelon^(BF) left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
    and Ekron uprooted.
⁵Woe to you who live by the sea,
    you Kerethite^(BG) people;
the word of the Lord is against you,^(BH)
    Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, “I will destroy you,
    and none will be left.”^(BI)
⁶The land by the sea will become pastures
    having wells for shepherds
    and pens for flocks.^(BJ)
⁷That land will belong
    to the remnant^(BK) of the people of Judah;
    there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
    in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
    he will restore their fortunes.^[f]^(BL)

Moab and Ammon

⁸“I have heard the insults^(BM) of Moab^(BN)
    and the taunts of the Ammonites,^(BO)
who insulted^(BP) my people
    and made threats against their land.^(BQ)
⁹Therefore, as surely as I live,”
    declares the Lord Almighty,
    the God of Israel,
“surely Moab^(BR) will become like Sodom,^(BS)
    the Ammonites^(BT) like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
    a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder^(BU) them;
    the survivors^(BV) of my nation will inherit their land.^(BW)”

¹⁰This is what they will get in return for their pride,^(BX)
    for insulting^(BY) and mocking
    the people of the Lord Almighty.^(BZ)
¹¹The Lord will be awesome^(CA) to them
    when he destroys all the gods^(CB) of the earth.^(CC)
Distant nations will bow down to him,^(CD)
    all of them in their own lands.

Cush

¹²“You Cushites,^[g]^(CE) too,
will be slain by my sword.^(CF)”

Assyria

¹³He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,^(CG)
leaving Nineveh^(CH) utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert.^(CI)
¹⁴Flocks and herds^(CJ) will lie down there,
    creatures of every kind.
The desert owl^(CK) and the screech owl^(CL)
    will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
    rubble will fill the doorways,
    the beams of cedar will be exposed.
¹⁵This is the city of revelry^(CM)
    that lived in safety.^(CN)
She said to herself,
    “I am the one! And there is none besides me.”^(CO)
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!^(CP)
All who pass by her scoff^(CQ)
    and shake their fists.^(CR)

Footnotes

Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
Zephaniah 1:11 Or in
Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region

Hebrews 9

New International Version

Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.^(A) ²A tabernacle^(B) was set up. In its first room were the lampstand^(C) and the table^(D) with its consecrated bread;^(E) this was called the Holy Place.^(F) ³Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,^(G) ⁴which had the golden altar of incense^(H) and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.^(I) This ark contained the gold jar of manna,^(J) Aaron’s staff that had budded,^(K) and the stone tablets of the covenant.^(L) ⁵Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,^(M) overshadowing the atonement cover.^(N) But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

⁶When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly^(O) into the outer room to carry on their ministry. ⁷But only the high priest entered^(P) the inner room,^(Q) and that only once a year,^(R) and never without blood,^(S) which he offered for himself^(T) and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.^(U) ⁸The Holy Spirit was showing^(V) by this that the way^(W) into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. ⁹This is an illustration^(X) for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered^(Y) were not able to clear the conscience^(Z) of the worshiper. ¹⁰They are only a matter of food^(AA) and drink^(AB) and various ceremonial washings^(AC)—external regulations^(AD) applying until the time of the new order.

The Blood of Christ

¹¹But when Christ came as high priest^(AE) of the good things that are now already here,^[a]^(AF) he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle^(AG) that is not made with human hands,^(AH) that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹²He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;^(AI) but he entered the Most Holy Place^(AJ) once for all^(AK) by his own blood,^(AL) thus obtaining^[b] eternal redemption. ¹³The blood of goats and bulls^(AM) and the ashes of a heifer^(AN) sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit^(AO) offered himself^(AP) unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences^(AQ) from acts that lead to death,^[c]^(AR) so that we may serve the living God!^(AS)

¹⁵For this reason Christ is the mediator^(AT) of a new covenant,^(AU) that those who are called^(AV) may receive the promised^(AW) eternal inheritance^(AX)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.^(AY)

¹⁶In the case of a will,^[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. ¹⁸This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.^(AZ) ¹⁹When Moses had proclaimed^(BA) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,^(BB) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.^(BC) ²⁰He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”^[e]^(BD) ²¹In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,^(BE) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.^(BF)

²³It was necessary, then, for the copies^(BG) of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;^(BH) he entered heaven itself,^(BI) now to appear for us in God’s presence.^(BJ) ²⁵Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place^(BK) every year with blood that is not his own.^(BL) ²⁶Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.^(BM) But he has appeared^(BN) once for all^(BO) at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.^(BP) ²⁷Just as people are destined to die once,^(BQ) and after that to face judgment,^(BR) ²⁸so Christ was sacrificed once^(BS) to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,^(BT) not to bear sin,^(BU) but to bring salvation^(BV) to those who are waiting for him.^(BW)