TSEPHANYAH 1

1 The word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 which came to Tsephanyah son of Kushi, son of Geḏalyahu, son of Amaryah, son of Ḥizqiyah, in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, sovereign of Yahuḏah. 2 \"I shall snatch away all from the face of the earth,\" declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 – 3 \"I snatch away man and beast, I snatch away the birds of the shamayim, and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks, with the wicked, when I shall cut off man from the face of the earth,\" declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. 4 \"And I shall stretch out My hand against Yahuḏah, and against all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and cut off every trace of Ba’al from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests, with the kohenim, 5 and those bowing down to the host of the shamayim on the house-tops, and those bowing themselves, swearing by 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and swearing by Malkam; 6 and those who turn away from following 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and who have not sought 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 or inquired of Him.\" 7 Hush in the presence of the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. For the day of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is near, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has prepared a slaughter, He has qadosh His invited ones. 8 \"And it shall be, in the day of the slaughter of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, that I shall punish the rulers and the sons of the sovereign, and all such as are clad in foreign garments. 9 \"And I shall punish on that day all who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit. 10 \"And on that day there shall be,\" declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, \"the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, and of a howling from the Second Quarter, and of a great crashing from the hills. 11 \"Howl, you inhabitants of Maḵtĕsh, for all the merchant people shall be silenced, all those weighing out silver shall be cut off. 12 \"And at that time it shall be, that I search Yerushalayim with lamps and punish the men who are settled on their dregs, who say in their heart, '𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 does no good, nor does He evil.' 13 \"And their wealth shall become plunder, and their houses laid waste. And they shall build houses but not inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards but not drink their wine.\" 14 Near is the great day of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, near and hurrying greatly, the noise of the day of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. Let the mighty man then bitterly cry out! 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and trouble, a day of waste and ruin, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds, dense clouds, 16 a day of ram’s horn and alarm - against the walled cities and against the corner towers. 17  \"And I shall bring distress on men, and they shall walk like blind men - because they have sinned against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.\" 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. And by the fire of His jealousy all the earth shall be consumed, for He makes a sudden end of all those who dwell in the earth.