A paraphrasticall explication of the twelve minor prophets. Viz. Hoseah. Joel. Amos. Obadiah. Jonah. Micah. Nahum. Habakkuk. Zephaniah. Haggai. Zechariah. Malachi. / By Da. Stokes. D.D.

CHAP. I.

THe word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Anta∣riah, the son of Hizkiah, in the daies of Iosiah the son of Amon king of Iudah.

2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.

3 I will consume man and beast: I will consume the fowles of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks with the wicked, and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.

3 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Iudah, and upon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the chemarims with the priests:

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the house tops, and them that

worship, and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham.

6 And them that are turned back from the Lord, and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enqui∣red for him.

7 Hold 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.

8 And it shall come tò passe in the day of the Lords sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the kings children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which ••ill their masters houses with violence and deceit.

10 And it shall come to passe 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.

11 Howl ye inhabitants of Maktesh: for all the merchant-people are cut down: all they that bear silver are cut off.

12 And it shall come to passe at that time, that I will search Ierusalem with candles, and punish the men that are setled on their lees; that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, nei∣ther will he do evil.

13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a disolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

14 The 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.

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distresse, a day of waftnesse and desolation, a day of darknesse and gloo∣minesse,

a day of clouds and thick darknesse,

16 A day of the trum∣pet and alarm against the fenced cities and against the high towers.

17 And I will bring di∣stresse upon them, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned a∣gainst the Lord, and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealou∣sie: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.