<p class="poetry">Be silent before the Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s day of judgment<n id="2" /> is almost here.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has prepared a sacrificial meal;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">he has ritually purified<n id="5" /> his guests.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s great day of judgment<n id="1" /> is almost here;p> <p class="poetry">it is approaching very rapidly!p> <p class="poetry">There will be a bitter sound on the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s day of judgment;p> <p class="poetry">at that time warriors will cry out in battle.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Seek the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s favor,<n id="1" /> all you humble people<n id="2" /> of the land who have obeyed his commands!<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Strive to do what is right!<n id="4" /> Strive to be humble!<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Maybe you will be protected<n id="6" /> on the day of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s angry judgment.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has removed the judgment against you;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he has turned back your enemy.p> <p class="poetry">Israel&#8217;s king, the <sc>Lordsc>, is in your midst!p> <p class="poetry">You no longer need to fear disaster.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;I will destroy<n id="1" /> everything from the face of the earth,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">I will leave in your midst a humble and meek group of people,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and they will find safety in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will remove<n id="1" /> those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">those who swear allegiance to the <sc>Lordsc><n id="3" /> while taking oaths in the name of<n id="4" /> their &#8216;king,&#8217;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will bring distress on the people<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and they will stumble<n id="2" /> like blind men,p> <p class="poetry">for they have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">Their blood will be poured out like dirt;p> <p class="poetry">their flesh<n id="3" /> will be scattered<n id="4" /> like manure.p>

<p class="poetry">before God&#8217;s decree becomes reality<n id="1" /> and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">before the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s raging anger<n id="3" /> overtakes<n id="4" /> you &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">before the day of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s angry judgment overtakes you!p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;On the day of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sacrificial meal,p> <p class="poetry">I will punish the princes<n id="1" /> and the king&#8217;s sons,p> <p class="poetry">and all who wear foreign styles of clothing.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">On that day,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;a loud cry will go up<n id="1" /> from the Fish Gate,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">wailing from the city&#8217;s newer district,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and a loud crash<n id="4" /> from the hills.p>

<p class="poetry">Those who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete,<n id="1" /> are as good as dead.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has decreed your downfall,<n id="3" /> Canaan, land of the Philistines:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will destroy everyone who lives there!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah<n id="1" /> will take possession of it.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">By the sea<n id="3" /> they<n id="4" /> will graze,p> <p class="poetry">in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,p> <p class="poetry">for the <sc>Lordsc> their God will intervene for them<n id="5" /> and restore their prosperity.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> will terrify them,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for<n id="2" /> he will weaken<n id="3" /> all the gods of the earth.p> <p class="poetry">All the distant nations will worship the <sc>Lordsc> in their own lands.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">She is disobedient;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">she refuses correction.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">She does not trust the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">she does not seek the advice of<n id="3" /> her God.p>

<p class="poetry">The just <sc>Lordsc> resides<n id="1" /> within her;p> <p class="poetry">he commits no unjust acts.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Every morning he reveals<n id="3" /> his justice.p> <p class="poetry">At dawn he appears without fail.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Yet the unjust know no shame.p>

<p class="poetry">Know for sure that I will then enablep> <p class="poetry">the nations to give me acceptable praise.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">All of them will invoke the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s name when they pray,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and will worship him in unison.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> your God is in your midst;p> <p class="poetry">he is a warrior who can deliver.p> <p class="poetry">He takes great delight in you;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he renews you by his love;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he shouts for joy over you.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">This is the prophetic message that the <sc>Lordsc> gave to<n id="1" /> Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of<n id="2" /> King Josiah son of Amon of Judah:p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will destroy people and animals;p> <p class="poetry">I will destroy the birds in the skyp> <p class="poetry">and the fish in the sea.p> <p class="poetry">(The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.)<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will remove<n id="2" /> humanity from the face of the earth,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>