Zephaniah 1

1 The word of the Lord, that was maad to Sofonye, sone of Chusi, sone of Godolie, sone of Amasie, sone of Ezechie, in the daies of Josie, the sone of Amon, king of Juda.

The Lord’s message, which came to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the time of Josiah of Judah who was son of Amon.

2 Y gaderinge schal gadere alle thingis fro the face of erthe, seith the Lord;

I will utterly destroy everything from off the face of the earth, says the Lord.

3 Y gaderynge man and beeste, Y gaderynge volatils of heuene, and fischis of the see; and fallyngis of vnpitouse men schulen be, and Y schal leese men fro face of erthe, seith the Lord.

I will sweep away human and animal, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. I will cause the wicked to stumble, and I will cut off humanity from the face of the earth, says the Lord.

4 And Y schal stretche out myn hond on Juda, and on alle dwellers of Jerusalem; and Y schal lese fro this place the relifs of Baal, and the names of keperis of housis, with prestis;

I will stretch out my hand over Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off from this place the last remnant of Baal and the name of the heathen priests,

5 and hem that worschipen on roouys the knyythod of heuene, and worschipen, and sweren in the Lord, and sweren in Melchon;

and those who worship on the housetops to the stars in the sky, and those worshippers of the Lord who also pay homage to Milcom,

6 and whiche ben turned awei bihynde the bak of the Lord, and whiche `souyten not the Lord, nether enserchiden hym.

and those who turn back from following the Lord, And those who do not seek the Lord nor strive to find him.

7 Be ye stille fro the face of the Lord God, for niy is the dai of the Lord; for the Lord made redi a sacrifice, halewide hise clepid men.

Be silent before the Lord God, for near is the day of the Lord, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has sanctified his guests.

8 And it schal be, in the dai of sacrifice of the Lord, Y schal visite on princes, and on sones of the kyng, and on alle that ben clothid with pilgrimys, ether straunge, clothing.

On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice: I will punish the officers and the royal princes, and all those who clothe themselves in foreign apparel.

9 And Y schal visite on ech that proudli entrith on the threisfold in that dai, whiche fillen the hous of her Lord God with wickidnesse and gile.

On that day: I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.

10 And ther schal be in that dai, seith the Lord, a vois of cry fro the yate of fischis, and yellynge fro the secounde yate, and greet defoulyng fro litle hillis.

Listen on that day, says the Lord: A cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, and a wailing from the New Quarter, and a great din from the hills.

11 Yelle ye, dwelleris of Pila; al the puple of Canaan was stille togidere, alle men wlappid in siluer perischiden.

Those who live in the Mortar wail, for all the traders are silenced, the money counters wiped out.

12 And it schal be, in that tyme Y schal seke Jerusalem with lanternes, and Y schal visite on alle men piyt in her darstis, whiche seien in her hertis, The Lord schal not do wel, and he schal not do yuele.

I will search Jerusalem with a lamp, I will punish those who are at ease, who sit comfortably with their wine, who say to themselves, ‘the Lord brings neither prosperity nor calamity.’

13 And the strengthe of hem schal be in to rauyschyng, and the housis of hem in to desert; and thei schulen bilde housis, and schulen not enhabite; and thei schulen plaunte vyneyerdis, and thei schulen not drynke the wyn of hem.

Their wealth will become a prey and their houses a desolation. Though they build houses, they will not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they will not drink wine from them.

14 Nyy is the greet dai of the Lord, niy and swift ful myche; the vois of the dai of the Lord is bittir, a strong man schal be in tribulacioun there.

Near is the day of the Lord! Near and rapidly approaching! Near is the bitter day of the Lord, and the scream of the warrior.

15 `The ilke dai is a dai of wraththe, dai of tribulacioun and angwisch, dai of nedynesse and wretchidnesse, dai of derknessis and myist, dai of cloude and whirlewynd,

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 dai of trumpe and noise on strong citees and on hiye corneris.

a day of the trumpet and battle-cry, against the fortified cities and against the high battlements.

17 And Y schal troble men, and thei schulen walke as blynde, for thei han synned ayens the Lord; and the blood of hem schal be sched out as erthe, and the bodies of hem schulen be as tordis.

And I will bring distress upon the people and they will walk as the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord, and their blood will be poured out as dust and their flesh as dung.

18 But and the siluer of hem, and gold of hem, schal not mowe delyuere hem in the dai of wraththe of the Lord; in fier of his feruour al erthe schal be deuourid, for he schal make ende with haastyng to alle men enhabitynge the erthe.

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them. For in the day of the wrath of the Lord and in the fire of his fury the whole earth will be consumed. For he will make a speedy end of all the inhabitants of the earth.