1. A message came to Zephaniah from the Lord. He was the son of Cushi. Cushi was the son of Gedaliah. Gedaliah was the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of King Hezekiah. The Lord spoke to Zephaniah during the rule of Josiah. He was king of Judah and the son of Amon.
2. "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," announces the Lord.
3. "I will destroy people and animals alike. I will wipe out the birds of the air and the fish in the waters. I will destroy sinful people along with their gods. I will wipe man off the face of the earth," announces the Lord.
4. "I will reach out my powerful hand against Judah. I will punish all those who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from that place what is left of Baal worship. The officials and priests who serve other gods will be removed.
5. I will wipe out those who bow down on their roofs to worship all of the stars. I will destroy those who take oaths not only in my name but also in the name of Molech.
6. I will cut off those who stop following me. They no longer look to me or ask me for advice.
7. Be silent in front of me. I am the Lord and King. The day of the Lord is near. I have prepared a sacrifice. I have set apart for myself the people I invited.
8. When my sacrifice is ready to be offered, I will punish the princes and the king's sons. I will also judge all those who follow the practices of other nations.
9. At that time I will punish all those who worship other gods. They fill the temples of their gods with lies and other harmful things.