Zephaniah 1

New International Version

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah^(A) son of Amon^(B) king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

²“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”^(C)
declares the Lord.
³“I will sweep away both man and beast;^(D)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky^(E)
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”^[a]

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”^(F)
declares the Lord,^(G)
⁴“I will stretch out my hand^(H) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,^(I)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests^(J)—
⁵those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,^(K)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,^[b]^(L)
⁶those who turn back from following^(M) the Lord
    and neither seek^(N) the Lord nor inquire^(O) of him.”

⁷Be silent^(P) before the Sovereign Lord,
for the day of the Lord^(Q) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;^(R)
he has consecrated those he has invited.

⁸“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
    I will punish^(S) the officials
    and the king’s sons^(T)
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
⁹On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,^[c]^(U)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.^(V)

¹⁰“On that day,^(W)”
    declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,^(X)
    wailing^(Y) from the New Quarter,
    and a loud crash from the hills.
¹¹Wail,^(Z) you who live in the market district^[d];
    all your merchants will be wiped out,
    all who trade with^[e] silver will be destroyed.^(AA)
¹²At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,^(AB)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,^(AC)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,^(AD)
    either good or bad.’^(AE)
¹³Their wealth will be plundered,^(AF)
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine.”^(AG)

¹⁴The great day of the Lord^(AH) is near^(AI)—
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
¹⁵That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness^(AJ) and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness^(AK)—
¹⁶    a day of trumpet and battle cry^(AL)
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.^(AM)

¹⁷“I will bring such distress^(AN) on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,^(AO)
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out^(AP) like dust
    and their entrails like dung.^(AQ)
¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”^(AR)

In the fire of his jealousy^(AS)
the whole earth will be consumed,^(AT)
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth.^(AU)

Footnotes

Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
Zephaniah 1:11 Or in

Psalm 143

New International Version

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

¹Lord, hear my prayer,^(A)
    listen to my cry for mercy;^(B)
in your faithfulness^(C) and righteousness^(D)
    come to my relief.
²Do not bring your servant into judgment,
    for no one living is righteous^(E) before you.
³The enemy pursues me,
    he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness^(F)
    like those long dead.^(G)
⁴So my spirit grows faint within me;
    my heart within me is dismayed.^(H)
⁵I remember^(I) the days of long ago;
    I meditate^(J) on all your works
    and consider what your hands have done.
⁶I spread out my hands^(K) to you;
    I thirst for you like a parched land.^[a]

⁷Answer me quickly,^(L) Lord;
    my spirit fails.^(M)
Do not hide your face^(N) from me
    or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,^(O)
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way^(P) I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.^(Q)
⁹Rescue me^(R) from my enemies,^(S) Lord,
    for I hide myself in you.
¹⁰Teach me^(T) to do your will,
    for you are my God;^(U)
may your good Spirit
    lead^(V) me on level ground.^(W)

¹¹For your name’s sake,^(X) Lord, preserve my life;^(Y)
    in your righteousness,^(Z) bring me out of trouble.
¹²In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;^(AA)
    destroy all my foes,^(AB)
    for I am your servant.^(AC)