Back to BooksSimple English

Zephaniah

Warns of coming judgment but promises joy for those who seek God.

Chapter 1

Back to Chapters

1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

*The message from God given to Zephaniah, whose family members were Cushi, Gedaliah, Amariah, and Hizkiah, during the time when King Josiah ruled over Judah.

2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.

*The Lord says that he will completely destroy everything on the land.

3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

*I will destroy people, animals, and birds; I will also eliminate wickedness from the earth, says God.

4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

*I will reach out my hand towards Judah and everyone in Jerusalem. I will remove the last bits of Baal and the name of the Chemarims along with the priests.

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

*And those who worship the stars in the sky on their rooftops, and those who worship and swear by the Lord, and those who swear by Malcham.

6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

*And those who left the LORD; and those who haven't looked for the LORD or tried to find him.

7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

*Be quiet in God's presence because God's day is coming soon; God has prepared a sacrifice and invited his guests.

8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

*In the day when the Lord sacrifices, I will punish the leaders, the king's children, and those wearing unusual clothes.

9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

*On the same day, I will punish everyone who jumps on the doorstep and causes harm and lies in their bosses' homes.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.

*In that day, says the Lord, there will be crying at the fish gate, wailing at the second gate, and loud crashes from the hills.

11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

*Shout, people of Maktesh, because all the merchants have been killed; those carrying silver are gone.

12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

*At that time, I will check Jerusalem using lights, and punish those who stay idle. They think, "The Lord won't do good or bad."

13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

*So their belongings will be taken as loot, and their homes will be empty and destroyed. They'll build houses, but no one will live in them, and they'll grow grapes, but nobody will enjoy the wine.

14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

*The day when God takes action is coming soon, it's getting closer fast, and so is the sound of that day. On that day, the strong people will cry out in great sadness.

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

*That day will be full of anger, with problems and sadness. It will be a wasted and empty day, with no light or happiness. The sky will be filled with dark clouds and thick darkness.

16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

*A day of loud horns and warnings for walled towns and tall towers.

17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

*I will cause people great trouble since they've sinned against the Lord. They'll stumble around like blind individuals. Their blood will be spilled like dirt, and their bodies will be treated like waste.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

*Their wealth won't save them from God's anger; instead, fire from his anger will destroy the entire land. He will quickly get rid of everyone living there.

Back to Chapters

* work in progress, there will be mistakes

Copyright © 2025 - Gema369 All Rights Reserved