Zephaniah, in The Douay Old Testament (1609–1610)

The prophecy of Sophonias (Zephaniah). This is Zephaniah as it stands in the second tome of the Douay Old Testament (Doway: Laurence Kellam, 1610), the English College of Douai’s Catholic translation from the Latin Vulgate, in its original spelling. The page gives every chapter with its printed summary, the verse text and the marginal notes.

THE PROPHECIE OF SOPHONIAS.

SOPHONIAS the ſonne of Chuſi borne in Sarabatha of the tribe of [Margin: Sophonias prophecied the captiuitie of the tvvo tribes: their relaxation. And Myſteries of Chriſt.] Simeon, in the reigne of Ioſias king of Iuda, ſomewhat before Ieremie (who beganne in the 13. yeare of the ſame Ioſias. After whom folowed Ezechiel, in the fift yeare of the tranſmigration of king Ioachin, and Baruch in the fift yeare after the deſtruction of Ieruſalem: then Daniel three yeares after him) prophecied the captiuitie of the two tribes, and their relaxation; likewiſe the ruine of diuers Gentiles, the coming of Chriſt; conuerſion of Gentiles, excecation of the Iewes, with their general conuerſion towards the end of the world.

Chapter 1

CHAP. I. For certaine enormious ſinnes, the captiuitie of the two tribes, is threatned, with admonition to repent, otherwiſe it shal be moſt terrible.

1 THE word [a] of our Lord that was made to Sophonie the ſonne of Chuſi, the ſonne of Godolias, the ſonne of Amarias, the ſonne of Ezechias, in the dayes of Ioſias the ſonne of Amon king of Iuda.

2 [b] Gathering I wil gather together al thinges from the face of the earth, ſayth our Lord:

3 gathering man, and beaſt, gathering the foules of the heauen, and fishes of the ſea: and there shal be ruines of the impious: and I wil deſtroy men from the face of the earth, ſayth our Lord.

4 And I wil ſtretch forth my hand vpon Iuda, and vpon al the inhabitantes of Ieruſalem: and I wil deſtroy out of this place the remnant of Baal, and the names of the templewardens with the prieſts:

5 and them that adore vpon the toppes of houſes the hoſt of heauen, and adore, and ſweare c by our Lord, and ſweare by Melchom.

6 And them that turne away from after the backe of our Lord, and that haue not ſought our Lord, nor ſearched after him.

7 Be ſilent before the face of our Lord God: becauſe [d] the day of our Lord is nere, becauſe our Lord hath prepared an hoſt, he hath ſanctified his called.

8 And it shal be: in the day of the hoſt of our Lord I wil viſite vpon the princes, and vpon [e] the kinges ſonnes, and vpon al that are clothed with[c] ſtrange clothing:

9 and I wil viſite vpon euerie one, that arrogantly entereth vpon the threshold in that day, them that fil the houſe of our Lord their God with iniquitie, & guile.

10 And it shal be in that day, ſayth our Lord, the voice of clamor from the gate of fishes, and howling from the ſecond, and great deſtruction from the hilles.

11 Howle ye inhabitants of the [*] Morter. Al the people of Chanaan is hush, al are perished that were wrapped in ſiluer.

12 & it shal be in that time: I wil ſearch Ieruſalem with lampes, and wil viſite vpon the men that are fixed in their dregges: that ſay in their hartes: The Lord wil not doe good, and he wil not doe euil.

13 And their ſtrength shal be into ſpoile, and their houſes as a deſert: and they shal build houſes, and shal not inhabite them: and shal plant vineyards, & shal not drinke the wine of them.

14 [f] The great day of our Lord is neere, it is neere and exceding ſwift: the voice of the day of our Lord is bitter, the ſtrong shal there haue tribulation.

15 That day g a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and diſtreſſe, a day of calamitie and miſerie, a day of darknes and miſt, a day of clowde & whirlewind:

16 a day of the trumpet and ſound vpon the fenſed cities, & vpon the high corners.

17 And I wil afflict men, and they shal walke as blindmen, becauſe they haue ſinned to our Lord: and their bloud shal be powred out as duſt, and their bodies as dung.

18 Yea and their ſiluer, and their gold shal not be able to deliuer them in the day of the wrath of our Lord: in the fire of his ielouſie shal al the earth be deuoured, becauſe he wil make conſummation with ſpeede to al that inhabit the earth.

Marginal notes to Chapter 1

• 1 [a] In ſaying the vvord of our Lord, the prophets ſignifie that they are not the principal auctors of that vvhich they preach or vvrite, but the miniſters by vvhom God ſpeaketh.
• 2 [b] Gathering more cōmonly ſignifieth a benefite, but by that vvhich folovveth, from the face of the earth, it is manifeſt, that God here threatneth to deſtroy ſinners, the kingdom of Iuda.
• 7 [d] The day of puniſhment is commonly called the day of our Lord. Iſa. 2. Ioel. 2. 1. Cor. 3. 2. Theſſ. 2.
• 8 [e] Ioachaz vvas depriued of his kingdom and died in Aegypt. 4. Reg. 23 Ioakim vvas continually vered by the Babylonians & other nations, 4. Reg. 24. at laſt ſlaine and his bodie caſt out of the citie Iere. 22. Sedecias taken, his eyes put out, ſo ca⟨illegible⟩ed into Babylon▪ and al his ſonnes ſlaine, Iechonias otherwiſe called Ioachin was kept long priſoner in Babylon, & al the iſſue of Ioſias afflicted▪
• 8 [c] VVhoſoeuer ioyneth falſe goddes vvith God Almightie, in dede ſerueth not God.
• 11 [*] the valley ner⟨illegible⟩ Ieruſalem
• 13 Amos ⟨illegible⟩.
• 14 [f] Al theſe afflictions are nere. g Repeting and inculcating the ſame termes, doth ⟨illegible⟩legantly deſcribe the greatnes of the future calamities.
• 15 Iere. 3⟨illegible⟩. Ioel. 2. Amos. ⟨illegible⟩.
• 18 Ezech ⟨illegible⟩.

Chapter 2

CHAP. II. ⟨illegible⟩ exhortation to repent: 4 with prophecie of the deſtruction of the Philiſtims▪ 8. Moabites and Ammonites; 12. Aethiopians: 12. Aſſirians: 15. with their chief citie Niniue.

1 COME together, be [a] ye gathered together ô nation not to be beloued:

2 before that the commandment bring forth the day as duſt paſſing away, before the wrath of the furie of our Lord come vpon you, before the day of the indignation of our Lord come vpon you.

3 Seeke our Lord al ye meeke of the earth, which haue wrought his iudgement: ſeeke the iuſt, ſeeke the meeke: if by any meanes you may be hid in the day of the furie of our Lord.

4 Becauſe Gaza [b] is deſtroyed, and Aſcalon as a deſert, Azotus at noone they shal caſt out, and Accaron shal be rooted out.

5 Wo to you that inhabite the cord of the ſea, ô nation of caſtawayes: the word of our Lord vpon you ô Chanaan land of the Philiſthims, and I wil deſtroy thee, ſo that there shal not be an inhabiter.

6 And the cord of the ſea shal be the reſt of paſtours, and ſoldes of cattel.

7 and it shal be the cord of him, that shal remayne of the houſe of Iuda, there they shal feede: in the houſes of Aſcalon at euen they shal reſt: becauſe our Lord their God wil viſite them, and turne away their captiuitie.

8 I hane heard the reproch of Moab, and the blaſphemies of the children of Ammon, with which they haue vpbrayded my people, and were magnified vpon their borders.

9 Therfore liue I, ſayth the Lord of hoſts the God of Iſrael, that Moab shal be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrha, drynes of thornes, and heapes of ſalt, and a deſert euen for euer: the remnant of my people shal ſpoile them, and the reſidue of my nation ſhal poſſeſſe them.

10 This shal be fal them for their pride: becauſe they haue blaſphemed, and haue beene magnified vpon the people of the Lord of hoſts.

11 Our Lord shal be dreadful vpon them, and shal attenuate al the goddes of the earth: and they shal adore him euerie man out of his owne place, al the ilands of the Gentils.

12 Yea and you Aethiopians shal be ſlaine with my ſword.

13 And he wil ſtretch forth his hand vpon the North, and wil deſtroy Aſſur: and he wil lay the Beautiful as a wildernes, and as a place not paſſable, and as a deſert.

14 And flockes shal lie in the middes therof, al the beaſtes of the Gentils: and on ocratulus, and the Irchin shal abide in the thresholdes therof: the voice of one ſinging in the window, the rauen on the vpper poſt, becauſe I wil attenuate her ſtrength.

15 This is [c] the glorious citie dwelling in confidence: that ſayd in her hart: I am, and beſide me there is none other els: how is she become as a deſert the couche for beaſtes? euerie one that paſſeth by her, shal hiſſe, and wag his hand.

Marginal notes to Chapter 2

• 1 [a] Ye that deſerue not Gods loue but rather to be re⟨illegible⟩ected, yet by repentance returne to him and he vvil receiue you.
• 4 [b] It is very frequent in the prophetes ⟨illegible⟩o ſpeake of thinges to come as if they were donne already for the certaintie therof. And theſe prophecies of the deſtructions of other nations by the Chaldees, do confirme that vvhich is threatned to the Ievves, for al ſinning, al muſt be puniſhed. And God vvho is Lord of al wil ſovvner or later geue to al as they deſerue.
• 14 Iſa. 34.
• 15 [c] Niniue exceeding glorious for antiquitie, greatnes, riches, vvarlike proweſe, & moſt large dominion vvas at laſt deſtroyed.

Chapter 3

CHAP. III. Ieruſalem for reiecting Gods admonitions shal be destroyed, 7. Chriſt being riſen from death; the Iewes perſecuting the faithful shal be reiected, miſerably deſtroyed, 9. and the Gentils called. 11. So his Church shal floorish. 13. and at laſt the Iewes shal be conuerted.

1 VVO TO thee thou [a] prouoking, and redemed citie, the doue.

2 She hath not heard the voice, and she hath not receiued diſcipline: she hath not truſted in our Lord, to her God she hath not approched.

3 Her princes in the middes of her as lions roarnig: her iudges wolues in the euening, left nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets madde, men vnfaythful: her prieſts haue polluted the holie, they haue done vniuſtly agaynſt the law.

5 Our iuſt Lord in the middes therof wil not doe iniquitie: in the morning in the morning he wil [*] geue his iudgement into light, and it shal not be hid: but the wicked man hath not knowen the confuſion.

6 I haue deſtroyed the Gentils, & their corners are diſſipated: I haue made their wayes deſert, whiles there is none that paſſeth by: their cities are deſolate, not a man remayning, nor any inhabiter.

7–8 I ſayd: Neuertheles thou shalt feare me, thou shalt receiue diſcipline: and her habitation shal not perish for al thinges, wherin I haue viſited her: but yet ryſing early they corrupted al their cagitations. ⟨illegible⟩. Wherfore [b] expect me, ſayth our Lord, in the day of my reſurrection til hereafter, becauſe my iudgement to aſſemble the Gentils, and to gather kingdomes: & to powre vpon them mine indignation, al the wrath of my furie: for in the fyre of my ielouſie shal al the earth be deuoured.

9 Becauſe c then wil I reſtore to the peoples, a choſen lippe, that al may inuocate in the name of the Lord, & may ſerue him with one shoulder.

10 Beyond the riuers of Aethiopia, thence shal my ſuppliants the children of my diſperſed bring me a gift.

11 In that day thou shalt not be confounded vpon al thine inuentions, wherin thou haſt preuaricated againſt me: becauſe then wil I take away out of the middes of thee the loftie ſpeakers of thy pride, & thou shalt adde no more to be exalted in my holie mount.

12 And I wil leaue in the middes of thee a people poore and needie: & they shal hope in the name of our Lord.

13 The remnāt of Iſrael shal not doe iniquitie, neyther shal they ſpeake leaſing, and deceitful tongue shal not be found in their mouth: becauſe they shal feede, and shal lie downe, and there shal be none to make them afrayd.[d]

14 Prayſe ô daughter of Sion: make iubilation Iſrael: be glad, & reioyce in al thy hart ô daughter of Ieruſalem.

15 Our Lord hath taken away thy iudgement, he hath turned away thine enemies: the king of Iſrael our Lord in the middes of thee, thou ſhalt feare euil no more.

16 In that day it shal be ſayd to Ieruſalem: Feare not: to Sion, let not thy handes be diſſolued.

17 Our Lord thy God in the middes of thee ſtrong, he wil ſaue: he wil reioyce vpon thee in gladnes, he wil be ſilent in his loue he wil be ioyful vpon thee in prayſe.

18 The [e] triflers that were departed from thee, I wil gather together, becauſe they were of thee: that thou mayſt no more haue reproch for them.

19 Behold I wil kil al that haue afflicted thee at that time: and I wil ſaue the halt, & her that was caſt out I wil gather: and I wil make them into prayſe, and into name, in al the land of their confuſion.

20 In that time, when I wil bring you: and in the time, that I wil gather you: for I wil geue you into a name, and into prayſe to al the people of the earth, when I shal conuert your captiuitie before your eyes, ſaith our Lord.

Marginal notes to Chapter 3

• 1 [a] Ieruſalem vvithout proper merites preferred by Gods ſpecial grace before al other places ſanctified, adorned, protected moſt ſingularly, yet ſtil prouoked him to vvrath contemning his admonitions, and perſiſting and multiplying ſinnes, can not but at laſt be ſeuerely puniſhed.
• 3 Ezec ⟨illegible⟩ ▪ Mich. ⟨illegible⟩.
• 5 [*] bring▪
• 7–8 [b] About 40. yeares after Chriſts reſurrection the moſt part of the Ievves perſiſting obſtinate vvere brought to maruelous diſtreſſe and miſeries vvhen Titus tooke & deſtroyed Ieruſalem which is alſo a figure of the deſtruction of this vvorld, and of eternal puniſhment of the vvicked▪
• 13 [d] Al nation▪ ſhal inuocate one God in a choſen lippe or tongue, in vnitie of fayth and vvith one shoulder of fortitude beare the yoke and burden of Chriſtian life▪ made ſvvete and light by Chriſts grace.
• 18 [e] Men of light conuerſation, & contemners of Chriſt ſhal alſo be conuerted, become graue & greatly honour him.

Colophon

The holie Bible faithfully translated into English, out of the authentical Latin. Diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greeke, and other editions in diuers languages. With arguments of the bookes, and chapters: annotations. tables: and other helpes. By the English College of Doway. The second tome (Psalms to 2 Machabees, with the Prayer of Manasses and the third and fourth books of Esdras), Doway: Laurence Kellam, 1610 (STC 2207). Copy: Henry E. Huntington Library, as reproduced in Early English Books Online (image set 2087).

Transcription: Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP), Phase I text A11777 (2007), released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal public-domain dedication.

This is an archival transcription, not a Good Works Translation: the English is the Douay translators’ own, kept in the original spelling, with long s (ſ), u and v, i and j as printed. The Good Works Library converted the TCP text to this page, removing only markup, page breaks and line-end hyphens. In the print a cross (†) opens each verse and the verse number stands in the margin; here each verse is its own paragraph headed by that number. Marginal notes are gathered after each chapter under the number of the verse beside which they stand; where the print sets a reference mark in the text (a letter, four pricks ::, or a star *), the mark is kept at its place in square brackets. In prose sections the marginal notes stand at their places in square brackets. Marks that the transcription records in the text are kept as they stand: ▪ is the transcribers’ sign for a printed mark they could not set, which this edition’s key to its marks uses to point to an Annotation after the chapter, and “ is another such printed mark. Words the transcribers could not read are marked ⟨illegible⟩ (13 on this page); none has been filled in by conjecture.

In 1 place on this page the transcription has no verse cross between two numbered verses; there both numbers head a single paragraph (for example “12–13”) rather than cutting the text by guesswork.

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