12 Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity! 13 Behold, isn’t it from the LORD of Armies that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity? 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to him who gives his neighbour drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies! 16 You are filled with shame, and not glory. You will also drink and be exposed! The cup of the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. 17 For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of the animals will terrify you, because of men’s blood and for the violence done to the land, to every city and to those who dwell in them.
18 “What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols? 19 Woe to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ or to the mute stone, ‘Arise!’ Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it. 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!”
3
1 A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, set to victorious music.
2 LORD, I have heard of your fame.
I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.
Renew your work in the middle of the years.
In the middle of the years make it known.
In wrath, you remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.
Selah.
His glory covered the heavens,
and his praise filled the earth.
4 His splendour is like the sunrise.
Rays shine from his hand, where his power is hidden.
5 Plague went before him,
and pestilence followed his feet.
6 He stood, and shook the earth.
He looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains were crumbled.
The age-old hills collapsed.
His ways are eternal.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction.
The dwellings of the land of Midian trembled.
8 Was the LORD displeased with the rivers?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your wrath against the sea,
that you rode on your horses,
on your chariots of salvation?
9 You uncovered your bow.
You called for your sworn arrows.
Selah.
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw you, and were afraid.
The storm of waters passed by.
The deep roared and lifted up its hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky
at the light of your arrows as they went,
at the shining of your glittering spear.
12 You marched through the land in wrath.
You threshed the nations in anger.
13 You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the land of wickedness.
You stripped them head to foot.
Selah.
14 You pierced the heads of his warriors with their own spears.
They came as a whirlwind to scatter me,
gloating as if to devour the wretched in secret.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
churning mighty waters.
16 I heard, and my body trembled.
My lips quivered at the voice.
Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place
because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble,
for the coming up of the people who invade us.
17 For even though the fig tree doesn’t flourish,
nor fruit be in the vines,
the labour of the olive fails,
the fields yield no food,
the flocks are cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD.
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 GOD, the Lord,† is my strength.
He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
and enables me to go in high places.
For the music director, on my stringed instruments.
† 1:2: When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name (Hebrew “יהוה”, usually pronounced Yahweh).
‡ 1:6: “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
§ 1:12: The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
† 2:5: Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 3:19: The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”
Zephaniah
The Book of Zephaniah
1
1 The LORD’s† word which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 I will utterly sweep away everything from the surface of the earth, says the LORD. 3 I will sweep away man and animal. I will sweep away the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and the heaps of rubble with the wicked. I will cut off man from the surface of the earth, says the LORD. 4 I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place—the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests, 5 those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by the LORD and also swear by Malcam, 6 those who have turned back from following the LORD, and those who haven’t sought the LORD nor enquired after him.
7 Be silent at the presence of the Lord‡ GOD, for the day of the LORD is at hand. For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests. 8 It will happen in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all those who are clothed with foreign clothing. 9 In that day, I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.
10 In that day, says the LORD, there will be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills. 11 Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone! All those who were loaded with silver are cut off. 12 It will happen at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are settled on their dregs, who say in their heart, “The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.” 13 Their wealth will become a plunder, and their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses, but won’t inhabit them. They will plant vineyards, but won’t drink their wine.
14 The great day of the LORD is near. It is near and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of the LORD. The mighty man cries there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, 16 a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high battlements. 17 I will bring such distress on men that they will walk like blind men because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath, but the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land.
2
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame, 2 before the appointed time when the day passes as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes on you, before the day of the LORD’s anger comes on you. 3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who have kept his ordinances. Seek righteousness. Seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger. 4 For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up. 5 Woe to the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The LORD’s word is against you, Canaan, the land of the Philistines. I will destroy you until there is no inhabitant. 6 The sea coast will be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks. 7 The coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will find pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the evening, for the LORD, their God,† will visit them and restore them. 8 I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the children of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people and magnified themselves against their border. 9 Therefore, as I live, says the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, surely Moab will be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the survivors of my nation will inherit them. 10 This they will have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of Armies. 11 The LORD will be awesome to them, for he will famish all the gods of the land. Men will worship him, everyone from his place,
