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ZEPHANIAH
Chapter
1
1
This is the worde of the LORDE, which came vnto Sophony the sonne of Chusi, the
sonne of Gedolias, the sonne of Amarias ye sonne of Hezechias: in the tyme of
Iosias the sonne of Amon kinge of Iuda.
2 I will gather vp all thinges in the londe (saieth the LORDE)
3 I wil gather vp man and beest: I wil gather vp the foules in the ayre, and the
fysh in the see (to the greate decaye of the wicked) & wil vtterly destroye
the men out of the londe, saieth the LORDE.
4 I wil stretch out myne honde vpon Iuda, and vpon all soch as dwel at Ierusalem.
Thus wil I rote out the remnaunt of Baal from this place, and the names of the
Kemuryns and prestes:
5 yee & soch as vpon their house toppes worshipe & bowe them selues vnto
the hoost of heauen: which sweare by the LORDE, and by their Malchom also:
6 which starte a backe from ye LORDE, and nether seke after the LORDE, ner
regarde him.
7 Be still at ye presence of the LORDE God, for the daye of the LORDE is at
honde: yee the LORDE hath prepared a slayne offeringe, and called his gestes
therto.
8 And thus shall it happen in the daye of the LORDES a slaynofferynge: I will
vyset the prynces, the kinges children, & all soch as weere strauge
clothinge.
9 In the same daye also wil I vyset all those, that treade ouer the thresholde
so proudly, which fyll their lordes house wt robbery and falsede.
10 At ye same tyme (saieth the LORDE) there shall be herde a greate crie from
the fyshporte, and an howlinge from ye other porte, and a greate murthur from
the hilles.
11 Howle ye that dwel in the myll, for all the marchaunt people are gone, and
all they that were laden with syluer, are roted out.
12 At the same tyme wil I seke thorow Ierusalem with lanternes, and vyset them
that contynue in their dregges, and saye in their hertes: Tush, the LORDE wil do
nether good ner euell.
13 Their goodes shalbe spoyled, and their houses layed waist. They shall buylde
houses, and not dwel in them: they shal plante vynyardes, but not drynke the
wyne therof.
14 For the greate daye of the LORDE is at honde, it is harde by, & commeth
on a pace. Horrible is ye tydinges of the LORDES daye, then shall the giaunte
crie out:
15 for that daye is a daye of wrath, a daye of trouble & heuynesse, a daye
of vtter destruccion & mysery, a darcke & glomynge daye, a cloudy &
stormy daye,
16 a daye of the noyse of trompettes and shawmes, agaynst the stronge cities and
hie towres.
17 I wil bringe ye people into soch vexacion, that they shal go aboute like
blinde me, because they haue synned agaynst the LORDE. Their bloude shalbe shed
as the dust, & their bodies as the myre.
18 Nether their syluer ner their golde shalbe able to delyuer the in that
wrothfull daye of the LORDE, but the whole londe shalbe cosumed thorow the fyre
of his gelousy: for he shall soone make clene ryddaunce of all them that dwell
in the londe.
Chapter
2
1 Come together and gather you, O ye frauwerde people:
2 or ye thinge go forth that is concluded, & or the tyme be passed awaye as
the dust: or the fearfull wrath of the LORDE come vpon you,
3 yee or the daye of the LORDES sore displeasure come vpon you. Seke the LORDE
all yee meke harted vpon earth, ye that worke after his iudgmet: seke
rightuousnesse, seke lowlynesse: that ye maye be defended in the wrothfull daye
of ye LORDE.
4 For
Gaza
shal be destroyed, & Ascalon shall be layed waist: They shal cast out Asdod
at the noone daye, and Accaron shalbe pluckte vp by the rotes.
5 Wo vnto you yt dwel vpon the see coost, ye murthurous people: the worde of ye
LORDE shal come vpon you. O Canaan thou londe of the Philistynes, I wil destroye
the, so that there shal no man dwel in the eny more:
6 & as for the see coost, it shal be hyrdmens cotages & shepe foldes:
7 yee it shalbe a porcion for soch as remayne of the house of Iuda, to fede ther
vpon. In ye houses of Ascalon shal they rest towarde night: for the LORDE their
God shal vyset the, & turne awaye their captyuite.
8 I haue herde the despite of
Moab
, & the blasphemies of the children of Ammon: how they haue shamefully
intreated my people, and magnified them selues within the borders of their londe.
9 Therfore as truly as I lyue (saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel)
Moab
shalbe as Sodome, & Ammon as Gomorra: euen drie thorne hedges, salt pittes
and a perpetuall wyldernes. The residue of my folke shall spoyle them the
remnaunt of my people shall haue them in possession.
10 This shal happen vnto them for their pryde, because they haue dealte so
shamefully with the LORDE of hoostes people, and magnified them selues aboue
them.
11 The LORDE shall be grymme vpon them, and destroye all the goddes in the londe.
And all the Iles of the Heithen shal worshipe him, euery man in his place.
12 Ye Morias also shal perish with my swerde:
13 Yee he shall stretch out his honde ouer the north, and destroye Assur. As for
Niniue, he shal make it desolate, drye and waist.
14 The flockes and all the beastes of the people shall lye in the myddest of it,
pellicanes and storckes shall abyde in the vpper postes of it, foules shal synge
in the wyndowes, and rauens shal syt vpon the balckes, for the bordes of Cedre
shalbe ryue downe.
15 This is the proude and carelesse cite, that sayde in hir herte: I am, and
there is els none. O how is she made so waist, yt the beestes lye therin? Who so
goeth by, mocketh her, and poynteth at her with his fynger.
Chapter
3
1 Wo to the abhominable, fylthie and cruel cite:
2 which wil not heare, ner be refourmed. Hir trust is not in the LORDE, nether
wil she holde her to hir God.
3 Hir rulers within her are as roaringe
lyons
: hir iudges are as wolues in the euenynge, which leaue nothinge behynde them
till the morow.
4 Hir prophetes are light personnes and vn faithfull men: hir prestes vnhalowe
the Sanctuary, and do wronge vnder the pretence of the lawe.
5 But the iust LORDE that doth no vnright, was amonge them, euery mornynge
shewinge them his lawe clearly, and ceassed not. But the vngodly will not lerne
to be asshamed.
6 Therfore wil I rote out this people, and destroye their towres: yee and make
their stretes so voyde, that no man shall go therin. Their cities shall be broke
downe, so that no body shal be left, ner dwel there eny more.
7 I sayde vnto them: O feare me, and be cotent to be refourmed. That their
dwellinge shulde not be destroyed, and that there shulde happen vnto them none
of these thinges, wherwith I shal vyset the. But neuertheles they stonde vp
early, to folowe the filthynes of their owne ymaginacions.
8 Therfore ye shal waite vpon me (saieth the LORDE) vntil the tyme that I stonde
vp: for I am determed, to gather the people and to bringe the kingdomes
together, that I maye poure out myne anger, yee all my wrothfull displeasure
vpon them. For all the worlde shalbe consumed with the fyre of my gelousy.
9 And then wil I clense the lippes of the people, that they maye euerychone call
vpon the name of the LORDE, and serue him with one shulder.
10 Soch as I haue subdued, and my children also whom I haue scatred abrode, shal
brynge me presentes beyonde the waters of
Ethiopia
.
11 In that tyme shalt thou nomore be confounded, because of all thy ymaginacions,
wher thorow thou haddest offended me: for I wil take awaye the proude boosters
of thine honoure from the, so that thou shalt nomore tryumphe because of my holy
hill.
12 In the also wil I leaue a smal poore symple people, which shal trust in the
name of the LORDE.
13 The remnaunt of
Israel
shal do no wickednes, ner speake lyes: nether shal there eny disceatful tunge
be founde in their mouthes. For they shal be fed, and take their rest, and no
man shal make them afrayed.
14 Geue thankes o doughter Sio, be ioyful o
Israel
: reioyce & be glad from thy whole herte, o doughter Ierusalem,
15 for the LORDE hath taken awaye thy punyshment, and turned backe thine
enemies. The kinge of
Israel
, euen the LORDE himself is with the: so that thou nedest nomore to feare eny
mysfortune.
16 In that tyme it shall be sayed to Ierusalem: feare not, and to Sion: let not
thine hondes be slacke,
17 for the LORDE thy God is with the, it is he that hath power to saue: he
hath a special pleasure in the, and a maruelous loue towarde the: yee he
reioyseth ouer the wt gladnesse.
18 Soch as haue bene in heuynesse, wil I gather together, and take out of
thy congregacion: as for the shame and reprofe that hath bene layed vpon the, it
shal be farre from the.
19 And lo, in yt tyme wil I destroye all those that vexe the: I wil helpe
the lame, and gather vp the cast awaye: yee I wil get them honoure and prayse in
all lodes, where they haue bene put to shame.
20 At ye same tyme wil I bringe you in, and at the same tyme wil I gather
you. I wil get you a name and a good reporte, amonge all people of the earth,
when I turne backe youre captiuyte before youre eyes, saieth the LORDE.
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