ZEPHANIAH 1-3

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  1:1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. The Coming Judgment on Judah2

“I will utterly sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 3

“I will sweep away man and beast;

I will sweep away the birds of the heavens

and the fish of the sea,

and the rubble with the wicked.

I will cut off mankind

from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal

and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, 5

those who bow down on the roofs

to the host of the heavens,

those who bow down and swear to the Lord

and yet swear by Milcom, 6

those who have turned back from following the Lord,

who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.” The Day of the Lord Is Near7

Be silent before the Lord God!

For the day of the Lord is near;

the Lord has prepared a sacrifice

and consecrated his guests. 8

And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—

“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and all who array themselves in foreign attire. 9

On that day I will punish

everyone who leaps over the threshold,

and those who fill their master’s house

with violence and fraud.
10

“On that day,” declares the Lord,

“a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,

a wail from the Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills. 11

Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!

For all the traders are no more;

all who weigh out silver are cut off. 12

At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

and I will punish the men

who are complacent,

those who say in their hearts,

‘The Lord will not do good,

nor will he do ill.’ 13

Their goods shall be plundered,

and their houses laid waste.

Though they build houses,

they shall not inhabit them;

though they plant vineyards,

they shall not drink wine from them.”
14

The great day of the Lord is near,

near and hastening fast;

the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;

the mighty man cries aloud there. 15

A day of wrath is that day,

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of ruin and devastation,

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16

a day of trumpet blast and battle cry

against the fortified cities

and against the lofty battlements.
17

I will bring distress on mankind,

so that they shall walk like the blind,

because they have sinned against the Lord;

their blood shall be poured out like dust,

and their flesh like dung. 18

Neither their silver nor their gold

shall be able to deliver them

on the day of the wrath of the Lord.

In the fire of his jealousy,

all the earth shall be consumed;

for a full and sudden end

he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. Judgment on Judah’s Enemies2:1

Gather together, yes, gather,

O shameless nation, 2

before the decree takes effect

—before the day passes away like chaff—

before there comes upon you

the burning anger of the Lord,

before there comes upon you

the day of the anger of the Lord. 3

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,

who do his just commands;

seek righteousness; seek humility;

perhaps you may be hidden

on the day of the anger of the Lord. 4

For Gaza shall be deserted,

and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;

Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon,

and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5

Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast,

you nation of the Cherethites!

The word of the Lord is against you,

O Canaan, land of the Philistines;

and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left. 6

And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures,

with meadows for shepherds

and folds for flocks. 7

The seacoast shall become the possession

of the remnant of the house of Judah,

on which they shall graze,

and in the houses of Ashkelon

they shall lie down at evening.

For the Lord their God will be mindful of them

and restore their fortunes.
8

“I have heard the taunts of Moab

and the revilings of the Ammonites,

how they have taunted my people

and made boasts against their territory. 9

Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,

the God of Israel,

“Moab shall become like Sodom,

and the Ammonites like Gomorrah,

a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,

and a waste forever.

The remnant of my people shall plunder them,

and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.” 10

This shall be their lot in return for their pride,

because they taunted and boasted

against the people of the Lord of hosts. 11

The Lord will be awesome against them;

for he will famish all the gods of the earth,

and to him shall bow down,

each in its place,

all the lands of the nations.
12

You also, O Cushites,

shall be slain by my sword.
13

And he will stretch out his hand against the north

and destroy Assyria,

and he will make Nineveh a desolation,

a dry waste like the desert. 14

Herds shall lie down in her midst,

all kinds of beasts;

even the owl and the hedgehog

shall lodge in her capitals;

a voice shall hoot in the window;

devastation will be on the threshold;

for her cedar work will be laid bare. 15

This is the exultant city

that lived securely,

that said in her heart,

“I am, and there is no one else.”

What a desolation she has become,

a lair for wild beasts!

Everyone who passes by her

hisses and shakes his fist. Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations3:1

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,

the oppressing city! 2

She listens to no voice;

she accepts no correction.

She does not trust in the Lord;

she does not draw near to her God.
3

Her officials within her

are roaring lions;

her judges are evening wolves

that leave nothing till the morning. 4

Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;

her priests profane what is holy;

they do violence to the law. 5

The Lord within her is righteous;

he does no injustice;

every morning he shows forth his justice;

each dawn he does not fail;

but the unjust knows no shame.
6

“I have cut off nations;

their battlements are in ruins;

I have laid waste their streets

so that no one walks in them;

their cities have been made desolate,

without a man, without an inhabitant. 7

I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;

you will accept correction.

Then your dwelling would not be cut off

according to all that I have appointed against you.’

But all the more they were eager

to make all their deeds corrupt.
8

“Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,

“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

For my decision is to gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them my indignation,

all my burning anger;

for in the fire of my jealousy

all the earth shall be consumed. The Conversion of the Nations9

“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

to a pure speech,

that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord

and serve him with one accord. 10

From beyond the rivers of Cush

my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,

shall bring my offering.
11

“On that day you shall not be put to shame

because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;

for then I will remove from your midst

your proudly exultant ones,

and you shall no longer be haughty

in my holy mountain. 12

But I will leave in your midst

a people humble and lowly.

They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, 13

those who are left in Israel;

they shall do no injustice

and speak no lies,

nor shall there be found in their mouth

a deceitful tongue.

For they shall graze and lie down,

and none shall make them afraid.” Israel’s Joy and Restoration14

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem! 15

The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

he has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall never again fear evil. 16

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Fear not, O Zion;

let not your hands grow weak. 17

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing. 18

I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,

so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19

Behold, at that time I will deal

with all your oppressors.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth. 20

At that time I will bring you in,

at the time when I gather you together;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes,” says the Lord.

PROVERBS 20

« Proverbs 19 | Proverbs 20 | Proverbs 21 »

20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,

and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. 2

The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;

whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. 3

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,

but every fool will be quarreling. 4

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

he will seek at harvest and have nothing. 5

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,

but a man of understanding will draw it out. 6

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,

but a faithful man who can find? 7

The righteous who walks in his integrity—

blessed are his children after him! 8

A king who sits on the throne of judgment

winnows all evil with his eyes. 9

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;

I am clean from my sin”? 10

Unequal weights and unequal measures

are both alike an abomination to the Lord. 11

Even a child makes himself known by his acts,

by whether his conduct is pure and upright. 12

The hearing ear and the seeing eye,

the Lord has made them both. 13

Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;

open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. 14

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

but when he goes away, then he boasts. 15

There is gold and abundance of costly stones,

but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. 16

Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners. 17

Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. 18

Plans are established by counsel;

by wise guidance wage war. 19

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets;

therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. 20

If one curses his father or his mother,

his lamp will be put out in utter darkness. 21

An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning

will not be blessed in the end. 22

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;

wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. 23

Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,

and false scales are not good. 24

A man’s steps are from the Lord;

how then can man understand his way? 25

It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”

and to reflect only after making vows. 26

A wise king winnows the wicked

and drives the wheel over them. 27

The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord,

searching all his innermost parts. 28

Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,

and by steadfast love his throne is upheld. 29

The glory of young men is their strength,

but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. 30

Blows that wound cleanse away evil;

strokes make clean the innermost parts.

REVELATION 16

« Revelation 15 | Revelation 16 | Revelation 17 »

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath  16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
    2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
    3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.
    4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,

“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,

for you brought these judgments. 6

For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,

and you have given them blood to drink.

It is what they deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying,

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,

true and just are your judgments!”
    8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
    10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
    12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The Seventh Bowl17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.