Zephaniah 1:2-9

2“I will completely consume and sweep away all things From the face of the earth [in judgment],” says the Lord.

3“I will consume and sweep away man and beast; I will consume and sweep away the birds of the air And the fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks (idols) along with the wicked; And I will cut off and destroy man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

4“I will also stretch out My hand [in judgment] against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off and destroy the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names and remembrance of the idolatrous priests along with the [false] priests,

5And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetops And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],

6And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord [as their most important need] or inquired of Him.”

7[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord God [there is no acceptable excuse to offer]! For the day [of the vengeance] of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice (Judah), He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon].

8“Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice That I will punish the princes and the king’s sons And all who are clothed in [lavish] foreign apparel [reflecting their paganism].

9On that day I will also punish all those who leap over the temple threshold, Who fill their [pagan] lord’s temple with violence and deceit.