Zephaniah 1
1The Devar Hashem which came unto Tzephanyah ben Cushi, ben Gedalyah, ben Amaryah, ben Chizkiyah, in the yamim of Yoshiyahu (Josiah) ben Amon, Melech Yehudah. 1
2I will utterly sweep away 1 all things from off the adamah, 1 saith Hashem. 1
3I will sweep away Adam (humankind) and Behemah (beast, animal, cattle); 1 I will sweep away Oph HaShomayim (Birds of the Air) 1 and the Dagim of HaYam (Fish of the Sea), 1 and the michsholim (stumbling blocks, what causes to fall into sin) with the resha'im; 1 and I will cut off adam from off the adamah, 1 saith Hashem. 1
4I will also stretch out Mine hand against Yehudah, 1 and against all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim; 1 and I will cut off from this place 1 the she'ar HaBa'al (remnant of Ba'al), 1 and the shem (name) of the Kemarim (the idolatrous priests) + 1:4 See 2Kgs 23:5 with the [idolatrous] kohanim; 1
5And those that worship the Tz'va HaShomayim 1 (Army of Heaven, star g-ds) upon the rooftops; 1 and those that worship and that swear [oaths] by Hashem, 1 but also swear by Milcom; + 1:5 i.e., their King [Ba'al] 1
6And those that turned back from following Hashem; 1 and those that have not sought Hashem, 1 nor inquired of Him. 1
7Hold thy peace (keep silent) at the presence of Adonai Hashem: 1 for the Yom Hashem is at hand; 1 for Hashem hath prepared a zevach (sacrifice), 1 Hashem hath consecrated His guests. + 1:7 i.e., made HaKeru'im (the Invited ones) of Him His Mequddashim (Consecrated ones), i.e., the nations set apart to consume His apostate people, see Isa 13:3 1
8And it shall come to pass in the Yom Zevach Hashem, 1 that I will punish the sarim (princes), 1 and Bnei HaMelech, 1 and all such as are clothed with malbush nochri (foreign apparel). 1
9In the same Yom also will I visit to punish 1 all those that leap over the threshold, + 1:9 See 1Sm 5:5 which fill their mastersʼ batim (houses) 1 with chamas (violence) and mirmah (deceit). 1
10And it shall come to pass in that Yom, saith Hashem, 1 that there shall be the noise of a cry from Sha'ar HaDagim, 1 and a wail from the Second Quarter of the city, 1 and a loud crash from the hills. 1
11Howl, ye inhabitants of HaMakhtesh, + 1:11 a locality in Yerushalayim 1 for all the merchants are cut down; 1 all they that weigh out kesef are cut off. 1
12And it shall come to pass at that time, 1 that I will search Yerushalayim with nerot (lamps), 1 and visit to punish the [proud] men 1 that are [complacently] settled on their lees; + 1:12 wine dregs 1 that say in their lev: Hashem will not do tov, 1 neither will Hashem do rah. 1
13Therefore their goods shall become a booty, 1 and their batim a desolation; 1 they shall also build batim, but not inhabit them; 1 and they shall plant kramim (vineyards), but not drink the yayin thereof. 1
14The Yom Hashem HaGadol is near, 1 near and hastening quickly; 1 the sound of the Yom Hashem is mar (bitter); 1 there the gibbor (mighty man, warrior) cries aloud. 1
15That Yom is a Yom Evrah (day of wrath), 1 a Yom Tzarah and Metzukah (a day of trouble and distress, pressure), 1 a Yom of Sho'ah (catastrophe) and Meshoah (desolation), 1 a Yom of Choshech and Afelah (gloom), 1 a Yom of Anan and Arafel (thick darkness), 1
16A Yom of the Shofar and Teruah (battle cry) 1 against the fortified cities, 1 and against the high battlements. 1
17And I will bring distress upon adam, 1 that they shall walk like ivrim, 1 because they have sinned against Hashem; 1 and their dahm shall be poured out like dust, 1 and their bowels like dung. 1
18Neither their kesef nor their zahav 1 shall be able to save them in the Yom Evrat Hashem 1 (Day of Hashem ʼs Wrath); 1 but kol ha'aretz (the whole earth) shall be devoured 1 by the eish of Hashemʼs kina (jealousy, zeal, passion); 1 for He shall make a complete end, a terrible end, 1 of kol yoshvei ha'aretz (all them that dwell on the earth).