King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 4 notes
1The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
4I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
5And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;
6And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
7Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
8And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
9In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.
11Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
12And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
Same thing when the day of the Lord comes.
Now people are tired of the message of the Lord's coming.
It's now become just a story.
The Lord was going to do a thorough job on this one.
The picture of a man in the dark with candlelight searching out every nook and cranny for something.
In like manner, the Lord was going to flush out every evil man from the house.
13Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
14The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Interestingly, it is called the day of the Lord, not the day of Assyria attacking Judah or the day of Babylon.
It was, or more specifically will be, the Lord behind it the whole time.
15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
I find it amazing that these prophecies came in the time of Josiah, a time of prosperity and righteousness, yet the prophets prophesied of gloom and doom.
Who would have expected or heard or even believed such?
I look at our nations today, and Ghana my own motherland, and I ask, who will be able to see such visions in the times of prosperity and abundance, and especially in the days of a righteous king?
All will prophesy of prosperity and riches forever. Alas, who will hear the true cry and warning of the Lord?
LORD, GIVE US YOUR WORD AND DISCERNMENT AND TRUTH IN THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY.
18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.