Zephaniah 1-3; Psalms 134 - Prayer Tents

1The Lord gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah.H1697H3068H6846H1121H3570H1121H1436H1121H568H1121H2396H3117H2977H1121H526H4428H3063

Coming Judgment against Judah

2“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.H622H5486H6440H127H5002H3068 3“I will sweep away people and animals alike. I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea. I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble, and I will wipe humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.H5486H120H929H5486H5775H8064H1709H3220H4384H7563H3772H120H6440H127H5002H3068 4“I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear.H5186H3027H3063H3427H3389H3772H7605H1168H4725H8034H3649H3548 5For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the Lord, but then they worship Molech, too.H7812H6635H8064H1406H7812H7650H3068H7650H4428 6And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek my blessings.”H5472H310H3068H1245H3068H1875 7Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near. The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners.H2013H6440H136H3069H3117H3068H7138H3068H3559H2077H6942H7121 8“On that day of judgment,” says the Lord, “I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs.H3117H3068H2077H6485H8269H4428H1121H3847H5237H4403 9Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies, and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.H3117H6485H1801H4670H4390H113H1004H2555H4820 10“On that day,” says the Lord, “a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate and echo throughout the New Quarter of the city. And a great crash will sound from the hills.H3117H5002H3068H6963H6818H1709H8179H3215H4932H1419H7667H1389 11Wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area, for all the merchants and traders will be destroyed.H3213H3427H4389H3667H5971H1820H5187H3701H3772 12“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.H6256H2664H3389H5216H6485H582H7087H8105H559H3824H3068H3190H7489 13So their property will be plundered, their homes will be ransacked. They will build new homes but never live in them. They will plant vineyards but never drink wine from them.H2428H4933H1004H8077H1129H1004H3427H5193H3754H8354H3196 14“That terrible day of the Lord is near. Swiftly it comes—a day of bitter tears, a day when even strong men will cry out.H1419H3117H3068H7138H7138H4118H3966H6963H3117H3068H1368H6873H4751 15It will be a day when the Lord’s anger is poured out—a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,H3117H3117H5678H3117H6869H4691H3117H7722H4875H3117H2822H653H3117H6051H6205 16a day of trumpet calls and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and the strongest battlements!H3117H7782H8643H1219H5892H1364H6438 17“Because you have sinned against the Lord, I will make you grope around like the blind. Your blood will be poured into the dust, and your bodies will lie rotting on the ground.”H6887H120H1980H5787H2398H3068H1818H8210H6083H3894H1561 18Your silver and gold will not save you on that day of the Lord’s anger. For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth.H3701H2091H3201H5337H3117H3068H5678H776H398H784H7068H6213H926H3617H3427H776

A Call to Repentance

2Gather together—yes, gather together, you shameless nation.H7197H7197H1471H3700 2Gather before judgment begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff. Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.H2706H3205H3117H5674H4671H3808H2740H639H3068H935H3117H3068H639H935 3Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you—protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.H1245H3068H6035H776H6466H4941H1245H6664H1245H6038H194H5641H3117H3068H639

Judgment against Philistia

4Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned, Ashdod and Ekron torn down.H5804H5800H831H8077H1644H795H6672H6138H6131 5And what sorrow awaits you Philistines who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan, for this judgment is against you, too! The Lord will destroy you until not one of you is left.H1945H3427H3220H2256H1471H3774H1697H3068H3667H776H6430H6H3427 6The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture, a place of shepherd camps and enclosures for sheep and goats.H3220H2256H5116H3741H7462H1448H6629 7The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there. They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon. For the Lord their God will visit his people in kindness and restore their prosperity again.H2256H7611H1004H3063H7462H1004H831H7257H6153H3068H430H6485H7725H7622H7622

Judgment against Moab and Ammon

8“I have heard the taunts of the Moabites and the insults of the Ammonites, mocking my people and invading their borders.H8085H2781H4124H1421H1121H5983H2778H5971H1431H1366 9Now, as surely as I live,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, “Moab and Ammon will be destroyed—destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah. Their land will become a place of stinging nettles, salt pits, and eternal desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them and take their land.”H2416H5002H3068H6635H430H3478H4124H5467H1121H5983H6017H4476H2738H4379H4417H5704H5769H8077H7611H5971H962H3499H1471H5157 10They will receive the wages of their pride, for they have scoffed at the people of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.H1347H2778H1431H5971H3068H6635 11The Lord will terrify them as he destroys all the gods in the land. Then nations around the world will worship the Lord, each in their own land.H3068H3372H7329H430H776H7812H376H4725H339H1471

Judgment against Ethiopia and Assyria

12“You Ethiopians will also be slaughtered by my sword,” says the Lord.H3569H1992H2491H2719 13And the Lord will strike the lands of the north with his fist, destroying the land of Assyria. He will make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland, parched like a desert.H5186H3027H6828H6H804H7760H5210H8077H6723H4057 14The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds, and all sorts of wild animals will settle there. The desert owl and screech owl will roost on its ruined columns, their calls echoing through the gaping windows. Rubble will block all the doorways, and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather.H5739H7257H8432H2416H1471H6893H7090H3885H3730H6963H7891H2474H2721H5592H6168H731 15This is the boisterous city, once so secure. “I am the greatest!” it boasted. “No other city can compare with me!” But now, look how it has become an utter ruin, a haven for wild animals. Everyone passing by will laugh in derision and shake a defiant fist.H5947H5892H3427H983H559H3824H657H8047H2416H4769H5674H8319H5128H3027

Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption

3What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!H1945H4754H1351H3238H5892 2No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God.H8085H6963H3947H4148H982H3068H7126H430 3Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.H8269H7130H7580H738H8199H6153H2061H1633H1242 4Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.H5030H6348H900H582H3548H2490H6944H2554H8451 5But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail. But the wicked know no shame.H6662H3068H7130H6213H5766H1242H1242H5414H4941H216H5737H5767H3045H1322 6“I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin. There are no survivors—none at all.H3772H1471H6438H8074H2351H2717H5674H5892H6658H376H3427 7I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won’t need to strike again, destroying their homes.’ But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds.H559H3372H3947H4148H4583H3772H834H3605H6485H403H7925H7843H5949 8Therefore, be patient,” says the Lord. “Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations. For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them. All the earth will be devoured by the fire of my jealousy.H2442H5002H3068H3117H6965H5706H4941H622H1471H6908H4467H8210H2195H2740H639H776H398H784H7068 9“Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the Lord together.H2015H5971H1305H8193H7121H8034H3068H5647H259H7926 10My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings.H5676H5104H3568H6282H1323H6327H2986H4503 11On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.H3117H954H5949H6586H5493H7130H5947H1346H3254H1361H6944H2022 12Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.H7604H7130H6041H1800H5971H2620H8034H3068 13The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will never tell lies or deceive one another. They will eat and sleep in safety, and no one will make them afraid.”H7611H3478H6213H5766H1696H3577H8649H3956H4672H6310H7462H7257H2729 14Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!H7442H1323H6726H7321H3478H8055H5937H3820H1323H3389 15For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster.H3068H5493H4941H6437H341H4428H3478H3068H7130H7200H7451 16On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!H3117H559H3389H3372H6726H3027H7503 17For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”H3068H430H7130H1368H3467H7797H8057H2790H160H1523H7440 18“I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more.H622H3013H4150H2781H4864 19And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed.H6256H6213H6031H3467H6760H6908H5080H7760H8416H8034H776H1322 20On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction, among all the nations of the earth, as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H6256H935H6256H6908H5414H8034H8416H5971H776H7725H7622H5869H559H3068

134[A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.] Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.H7892H4609H1288H3068H5650H3068H3915H5975H1004H3068 2Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the Lord.H5375H3027H6944H1288H3068 3May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem.H3068H6213H8064H776H1288H6726