“Men and women and animals,
    including birds and fish—
Anything and everything that causes sin—will go,
    but especially people.

* * *

4-6 “I’ll start with Judah
    and everybody who lives in Jerusalem.
I’ll sweep the place clean of every trace
    of the sex-and-religion Baal shrines and their priests.
I’ll get rid of the people who sneak up to their rooftops at night
    to worship the star gods and goddesses;
Also those who continue to worship God
    but cover their bases by worshiping other king-gods as well;
Not to mention those who’ve dumped God altogether,
    no longer giving him a thought or offering a prayer.

* * *

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“I will sweep away both man and beast;(A)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky(B)
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”[a]

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”(C)
declares the Lord,(D)
“I will stretch out my hand(E) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,(F)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests(G)
those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,(H)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,[b](I)

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  2. Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam