Zephaniah Prophesies Judgment on Judah (Matthew 13:36–43)
1 UDB Yahweh's message came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, whose father was King Hezekiah. Yahweh gave this message during the time when King Amon's son Josiah was the king of Judah. BSB BSB: This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
2 UDB Yahweh said, "I will sweep away everything that is on the earth. BSB BSB: “I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
3 UDB I will sweep away people and animals. I will sweep away birds and fish. I will get rid of wicked people; so that there will be no more wicked people on the earth." BSB BSB: “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
4 UDB "These are some of the things that I will do: I will punish the people who live in Jerusalem and other places in Judah, and destroy everything that has been used in the worship of Baal and and cause people to no longer remember the names of the pagan priests or the other priests who have turned away from me. BSB BSB: “I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests—
5 UDB I will get rid of those who go up on the roofs of their houses and worship the sun, moon, and stars, and those who claim to worship me but also swear using the name of their king. BSB BSB: those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,
6 UDB Finally, I will get rid of all those who previously worshiped me but no longer do; those who no longer seek my help or request me to tell them what they should do." BSB BSB: and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”
The Day of the LORD (Malachi 4:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; 2 Peter 3:8–13)
7 UDB Be silent in front of Yahweh the Lord, because it will soon be the time when Yahweh will judge and punish people. Yahweh has prepared himself to get rid of the people of Judah; they will be like animals that are set apart to be slaughtered for sacrifices, and he has chosen their enemies to be the ones who will get rid of them. BSB BSB: Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.
8 UDB Yahweh says, "On that day when I will get rid of the people of Judah, I will punish their officials and the king's sons, and all those who worship foreign gods— BSB BSB: “On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the princes, the sons of the king, and all who are dressed in foreign apparel.
9 UDB including those who show that they revere their god Dagan by avoiding stepping on the threshold of his temple, and those who do violent things and tell lies in the temples of their gods." BSB BSB: On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit.
10 UDB Yahweh also says, "On that day, people will cry out at the Fish Gate of Jerusalem. People will wail in the Second Quarter of the city, and people will hear a loud crash of buildings collapsing in the hills. BSB BSB: On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills.
11 UDB All you people who live in the market area of Jerusalem should wail, because all those who sell goods for money will be slaughtered. BSB BSB: Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off.
12 UDB It will be as though I will light lanterns to search in dark places in Jerusalem for those who have become very satisfied with their behavior and complacent about their sins. They think that I, Yahweh, will do neither good nor bad things, as if I do not even exist! BSB BSB: And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’
13 UDB So I have decided that armies will come and carry off their valuable possessions, after destroying their houses. The people will build new homes, but they will not live in them; they will plant vineyards again, but they will never drink any wine made from grapes that grow." BSB BSB: Their wealth will be plundered and their houses laid waste. They will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.
14 UDB It will soon be the day when Yahweh will punish people. It will be here quickly. It will be a time when even brave soldiers will cry loudly. BSB BSB: The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
15 UDB It will be a time when God shows that he is very angry, a time when people experience much distress and trouble. It will be a time when many things are ruined, destroyed, and when everyone goes away. It will be a time when it is very gloomy and dark, when the clouds are very black. BSB BSB: That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,
16 UDB It will be a time when soldiers will blow trumpets to call other soldiers to battle. Your enemies will tear down the walls around your cities and the high towers at the corners of those walls. BSB BSB: a day of horn blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers.
17 UDB Because you sinned against Yahweh, he will cause you to experience great distress; you will walk around groping as blind people do. Your blood will flow from your bodies like falling soil, and your corpses will lie on the ground and rot. BSB BSB: I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
18 UDB At the time that Yahweh shows that he is very angry with you, you will not be able to save yourselves by giving silver or gold to your enemies. Because Yahweh is very jealous, he will send a fire to burn up the entire world, and he will completely get rid, in a most terrifying way, of all the wicked people who live on the earth. BSB BSB: Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.