Zephaniah 1:4-13

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.

10On that day,” declares the Lord, “There will be the sound of crying from the Fish (Damascus) Gate [in the northern wall of Jerusalem where invaders enter] And wailing from the Second Quarter [of the city], And a loud crash from the hills.

11Wail [in anguish], you inhabitants of the Mortar (Valley of Siloam), For all the merchants of Canaan will be silenced and destroyed; All who weigh out silver will be cut off.

12It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps And I will punish the men Who [like old wine] are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’

13Furthermore, their wealth will become plunder And their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses but not live in them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”