1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah:
1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold,
who fill the house of their master with wealth taken by violence and deceit.
1:10 On that day,” says the Lord,
“a loud cry will go up from the Fish Gate,
wailing from the city’s newer district,
and a loud crash from the hills.
1:11 Wail, you who live in the market district,
for all the merchants will disappear
and those who count money will be removed.
1:14 The Lord’s great day of judgment is almost here;
it is approaching very rapidly!
There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s day of judgment;
at that time warriors will cry out in battle.
2:5 Those who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete, are as good as dead.
The Lord has decreed your downfall, Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy everyone who lives there!”
2:13 The Lord will attack the north
and destroy Assyria.
He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;
it will be as barren as the desert.
3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable
the nations to give me acceptable praise.
All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray,
and will worship him in unison.
3:18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals –
I took them away from you;
they became tribute and were a source of shame to you.