Zephaniah says neither silver nor gold will be able to deliver on the day of the LORD’s wrath. He describes a full end coming on the inhabitants of the land (Zephaniah 1:18).
In Zephaniah 1:17–18, Yahweh announces a coming disaster that leaves people disoriented and helpless, like the blind. The reason given is direct: they have acted against Yahweh. The images turn graphic to stress how total the collapse will be—blood and bodies treated like worthless refuse. These verses sit near the peak of Zephaniah’s opening warning about the “day of Yahweh,” where earlier lines stack up descriptions of crisis and alarm (Zephaniah 1:14–16).
Zephaniah 1:17–18 presents Yahweh as the active agent of a coming disaster: “I will bring distress.” The effect is social and personal collapse—people move “like blind men,” unable to find safety or control the situation.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Zephaniah 1:18, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh`s wrath, but the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land.