1. The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:
2. "I will completely remove all things From the face of the earth," declares the Lord.
3. "I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the Lord.
4. "So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.
5. "And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom,
6. And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him."
7. Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
8. "Then it will come about on the day of the Lord's sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king's sons And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
9. "And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.
10. "On that day," declares the Lord, "There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, A wail from the Second Quarter, And a loud crash from the hills.