Zephaniah 1

The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

The divine message from the LORD reached Zephaniah, a descendant of Cushi, Gedaliah, Amariah, and Hizkiah, during the reign of King Josiah, son of Amon, in Judah.

I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.

The Lord declares, with a heavy heart, that He will completely remove everything from the earth.

I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

I, the Lord, promise to engulf both man and beast; I will devour the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea, along with the wicked and their wrongdoings. I will erase mankind from the earth.

I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

I will raise my hand against Judah and against everyone in Jerusalem. I will eradicate the last traces of Baal from this land, along with the names of the Chemarims and their priests.

And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

Those who idolize the celestial bodies from their rooftops, and those who pledge their loyalty both to the Lord and to false gods;

And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

Those who have turned away from God, and those who have never sought or asked about Him.

Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

Stay calm and quiet before the Lord God, for His day is near. He has prepared a special offering and invited His guests.

And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

On the day of God's sacrifice, I will punish the leaders, the royal offspring, and all who dress in foreign clothes.

In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

On that day, I will punish all who leap over the threshold in pagan custom, who fill their masters' houses with violence and lies.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.

On that day, declares the LORD, there will be a loud outcry from the fish gate, a wailing from the city, and a massive rumble from the hills.

Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

Cry out, people of Maktesh, for all the traders have fallen; those who deal in silver have been wiped out.

And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

When the time comes, I'll thoroughly search Jerusalem, like one searching with candles, and punish those who are complacent, those who think, "God won't reward or punish us."

Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

Their possessions will be stolen, their homes left in ruins. They'll build houses but never live in them; they'll plant vineyards but never taste their wine.

The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

The Lord's significant day is fast approaching, it's almost here, rushing towards us. Even the bravest will weep in its wake.

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

That day is filled with anger, hardship, and suffering. It's a day of emptiness and ruin, a day shrouded in darkness and despair, a day clouded by deep shadows.

A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

A day of trumpet blasts and battle cries against the fortified cities and the high towers.

And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

I will cause such distress among people, they'll stumble around as if blind, for they've sinned against God. Their blood will be poured out like dust, their bodies thrown away like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

On the day of God's anger, neither wealth nor riches will save them. The land will be consumed by the fiery blaze of His jealousy. Swiftly, He will wipe out all who live there.