1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, a in the days of Josiah b son of Amon, c king of Judah.
The Great Day of the LORD
2 I will completely sweep away everything
from the face of the earth d—
this is the LORD’S declaration.
3 I will sweep away people and animals; e
I will sweep away the birds of the sky
and the fish of the sea,
and the ruins along with the wicked. f
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth.
This is the LORD’S declaration.
4 I will stretch out my hand g against Judah
and against all the residents of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every vestige of Baal h
from this place,
the names of the pagan priests i
along with the priests;
5 those who bow in worship on the rooftops j
to the stars in the sky;
those who bow and pledge loyalty to the LORD k
but also pledge loyalty to Milcom; ,l
6 and those who turn back from following the LORD,
who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, m
for the day of the LORD is near. n
Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; o
he has consecrated his guests. p
8 On the day of the LORD’S sacrifice
I will punish the officials, the king’s sons,
and all who are dressed in foreign clothing.
9 On that day q I will punish
all who skip over the threshold, ,r
who fill their master’s house
with violence and deceit.
10 On that day—
this is the LORD’S declaration—
there will be an outcry from the Fish Gate, s
a wailing from the Second District, t
and a loud crashing from the hills.
11 Wail, you residents of the Hollow,
for all the merchants will be silenced;
all those loaded with silver will be cut off.
12 And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those who settle down comfortably, ,u
who say to themselves:
The LORD will not do good or evil. v
13 Their wealth will become plunder
and their houses a ruin.
They will build houses but never live in them,
plant vineyards but never drink their wine. w
14 The great day of the LORD is near, x
near and rapidly approaching.
Listen, the day of the LORD—
then the warrior’s cry is bitter.
15 That day is a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress,
a day of destruction and desolation,
a day of darkness y and gloom,
a day of clouds and total darkness, z
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities,
and against the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on mankind,
and they will walk like the blind a
because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their flesh like dung.
18 Their silver and their gold
will be unable to rescue them
on the day of the LORD’S wrath. b
The whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of his jealousy, c
for he will make a complete,
yes, a horrifying end
of all the inhabitants of the earth.
A. Universal judgment (1:1–3). Zephaniah’s first oracle proclaims God’s judgment on the earth. His message includes all nations. The devastation will be on a much larger scale than in the days of Noah (Gn 6–8), demonstrating God’s great anger.
B. Judah’s idolatry (1:4–6). God’s judgment extends first to his own people (Judah) and his dwelling place (Jerusalem) (1:4). His hand is stretched out to cut off all paganism. God is angry because of his people’s lack of responsiveness. Idolatry is a flagrant breach of the covenant. For Zephaniah, idolatry is any expression that involves other deities, priests of non-Aaronic descent, illegitimate public and private forms of worship, double-mindedness, or apathy toward the Lord.
1:7–9. The first oracle compares the day of the Lord to a sacrificial feast with three parties: the host (the Lord), the invited guests (enemies of Judah), and the sacrifice (Judah).
1:10–11. In the second oracle, traders and financiers are warned about the impending judgment and its financial consequences. The Fish Gate (1:10) granted access to the business center of Jerusalem. The new prosperity brought about the extension of the city beyond the old walls to include the Second District. But instead of traders, enemy forces will come, and the merchants will be no more (1:11). Instead of the sound of barter, a cry together with sounds of destruction will rise up from Jerusalem’s market district. Jerusalem’s center of trade, industry, and business will violently end. Zephaniah exhorts people to prepare themselves by wailing in expectation of the coming judgment (cf. Is 13:6; Jr 4:8; Jl 1:5; Am 8:3).
1:12–13. In the third oracle, God expresses judgment against the wealthy, callous seekers of their own pleasures. He will investigate and judge the wealthy, like a man tracking down an escapee with a searchlight (1:12). The wealthy are like wine left on its dregs, which is undrinkable (see the CSB footnote). They are so oblivious to the impending judgment that they think God is powerless and stands idly by. His judgment will reverse their fortunes. Their aim is to build and to plant, but God will frustrate their goals (1:13).
1:14–16. Zephaniah’s description of the day of the Lord in 1:14–18 is not original with him (Am 5:18–20). Israel had expected that day to be victorious, with national glory reminiscent of the era of David and Solomon; God’s judgment was thought to be limited to Israel’s enemies and could not conceivably affect his covenant people. Amos dispelled that illusion. He characterized the day as a time of judgment from which no one could escape. Zephaniah further develops the imagery into an apocalyptic vision of the dreaded day when God wars against his own people.
1:17–18. The prophet shifts his description from the day of the Lord to its effects. God comes as a warrior against his own people to bring distress on them, to make them feel helpless, even to bring utter destruction. The judgment is severe because they have sinned against his holiness (1:17). He therefore responds with anger, which is an expression of his jealousy (1:18). God is the source of all, the only one worthy of humanity’s loyalty, worship, and obedience, and so he is jealous of his rights as the king of the universe. The jealousy of God therefore expresses precaution, so as not to permit his creatures to disregard his honor or to assume his glory for themselves. [Blindness]