Zephaniah 1:13 (GNV)

Passage

Therefore their goods shall be spoyled, and their houses waste: they shall also build houses, but not inhabite them, and they shall plant vineyards, but not drinke the wine thereof.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 1:11 Howle ye inhabitants of the lowe place: for the companie of the marchants is destroyed: all they that beare siluer, are cut off.

Zephaniah 1:12 And at that time will I searche Ierusalem with lightes, and visite the men that are frosen in their dregges, and say in their heartes, The Lord will neither doe good nor doe euill.

Zephaniah 1:13 Therefore their goods shall be spoyled, and their houses waste: they shall also build houses, but not inhabite them, and they shall plant vineyards, but not drinke the wine thereof.

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is neere: it is neere, and hasteth greatly, euen the voyce of the day of the Lord: the strong man shall cry there bitterly.

Zephaniah 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and heauinesse, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of obscuritie and darkenesse, a day of cloudes and blackenesse,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "goods", "shall", "spoyled", "houses", "waste", and "build". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "goods", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And at that time will I searche..." into verse 14's "The great day of the Lord is...", so "therefore" and "goods" belong inside that flow. In Zephaniah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "goods" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.