CHAPTER 1 The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:
2 “I will completely remove all things From the face of the [a]earth,” declares the LORD. THIS IS A STRONG WARNING
3 “I will remove human and animal life; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the [b]ruins along with the wicked; And I will eliminate mankind from the face of the [c]earth,” declares the LORD. JUST LIKE DURING NOAH’S TIME.
4 “So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will eliminate the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the other priests. BAAL = “CANAANITE FERTILITY DEITY OF RAIN AND DEW” BRITTANICA ; IDOLATRY IS AGAINST THE FIRST COMMANDMENT IN EXODUS 20.
5 And those who bow down on the housetops to the heavenly [d]lights, And those who bow down and swear to the LORD, but also swear by [e]Milcom, = Ammonite god
6 And those who have turned back from following the LORD, And those who have not sought the LORD nor inquired of Him.” WE NEED TO ASK AND SEEK THE LORD.
7 [f]Be silent before the Lord [g]GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, Because the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests. ARE WE QUIET ENOUGH?
8 “Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments. LEADERS ARE JUDGED FIRST. WE NEED TO BUY AMERICAN CLOTHES? 😊
9 And on that day I will punish all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their [h]lord with violence and deceit. THERE NEEDS TO BE PEACE & TRUTH HERE.
10 And on that day,” declares the LORD, “There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, Wailing from the [i]Second Quarter, And a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of the [j]Mortar, Because all the [k]people of Canaan will be destroyed; All who weigh out silver will be eliminated. CANAAN = PALESTINE; SCALES OF JUSTICE
12 And it will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the people Who are [l]stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good nor harm!’ WE CAN’T BE STAGNANT IN SPIRIT. WE CAN’T BE LUKEWARM. THE LORD DOES GOOD AND HARM WILL COME.
13 Their wealth will become plunder, And their houses desolate; Yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”
14 The great day of the LORD is near, ear and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! [m]In it the warrior cries out bitterly. I WONDER HOW MUCH LONGER.
15 That day is a day of anger, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on mankind So that they will walk like those who are blind, Because they have sinned against the LORD; And their blood will be poured out like dust, And their flesh like dung. WE NEED TO CONFESS OUR SIN.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to save them On the day of the LORD’S anger; And all the earth will be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a horrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. WE CAN’T BUY FORGIVENESS, LIKE A MAJOR CHURCH TRIED BEFORE.
Footnotes (from Biblegateway.com)
Zephaniah 1:2 Lit ground
Zephaniah 1:3 Or stumbling blocks
Zephaniah 1:3 Lit ground
Zephaniah 1:5 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
Zephaniah 1:5 Or their king; MT Malcam, prob. a variant spelling of Milcom, the Ammonite god
Zephaniah 1:7 Lit Hush
Zephaniah 1:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LORD
Zephaniah 1:9 Or Lord
Zephaniah 1:10 I.e., a district of Jerusalem
Zephaniah 1:11 I.e., a district of Jerusalem
Zephaniah 1:11 Or merchant people will
Zephaniah 1:12 Lit thickening on their dregs
Zephaniah 1:14 Lit There
CHAPTER 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, join together, You nation without [a]shame,
2 Before the decree [b]takes effect—The day passes like chaff—Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you. THE LORD HAS BEEN PATIENT BUT HE ALSO HAS AN ANGRY SIDE.
3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the [c]earth Who have practiced His [d]ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will remain hidden On the day of the LORD’S anger. SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD SONG
4 For Gaza will be abandoned, And Ashkelon will become a desolation; The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon, And Ekron will be uprooted. GAZA = PALESTINE
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the [e]Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will eliminate you So that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will become grazing places, With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be For the remnant of the house of Judah, They will drive sheep to pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the LORD their God will care for them And restore their fortunes. THE LORD CARES FOR US.
8 “I have heard the taunting of Moab And the abusive speech of the sons of Ammon, With which they have taunted My people And boasted against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of armies, The God of Israel, “Moab will assuredly be like Sodom, And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines, And a permanent desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.” GOD DESTROYED SODOM AND GOMORRAH FOR THEIR SEXUAL SIN. IS THE USA NEXT?
10 This they will have in return for their arrogance, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the LORD of armies.
11 The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will [f]starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place. HUMBLE THYSELF SONG
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12 “You also, Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.” THEY STARVED IN THE EARLY 80s.
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north And eliminate Assyria, And He will make Nineveh (MOSUL, IRAQ) a desolation, Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst, [g]All animals that range in herds; Both the [h]pelican and the hedgehog Will spend their nights in [i]the tops of her pillars; [j]Birds will sing in the window, Devastation will be on the threshold; For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the presumptuous city That dwells securely, Who says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” How she has become a desolation, A resting place for animals! Everyone who passes by her will [k]hiss And wave his hand in contempt.
Footnotes
Zephaniah 2:1 Or longing
Zephaniah 2:2 Lit gives birth
Zephaniah 2:3 Or land
Zephaniah 2:3 Or justice
Zephaniah 2:5 I.e., a segment of the Philistines with roots in Crete
Zephaniah 2:11 Lit allow to dwindle
Zephaniah 2:14 Or All kinds of beasts in crowds; lit Every kind of beast of a nation
Zephaniah 2:14 Or owl; or jackdaw
Zephaniah 2:14 Lit her capitals
Zephaniah 2:14 Lit A voice
Zephaniah 2:15 Or whistle
Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations
CHAPTER 3:1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The oppressive city!
2 She obeyed no voice, She accepted no discipline. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not approach her God. WE NEED TO TRUST AND APPROACH GOD – CHURCH
3 Her leaders within her are roaring lions, Her judges are wolves at evening; They have no bones to gnaw in the morning.
4 Her prophets are insolent, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the Law. THIS SANCTUARY IS HOLY.
5 The LORD is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He [a]does not fail. But the [b]criminal knows no shame. PRAY FOR JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HUMILITY.
6 “I have eliminated nations; Their corner towers are deserted. I have laid waste their streets, With no one passing by; Their cities have been laid waste, Without a person, without an inhabitant. SOME CITIES / PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.
7 I said, ‘You will certainly revere Me, You will accept discipline.’ So her dwelling will not be eliminated In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her. Instead, they were eager to corrupt all their deeds. WE NEED TO HAVE HONESTY.
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal. WE NEED TO WAIT FOR THE LORD. HIS JUDGEMENT IS COMING.
9 For then I will [c]restore to the peoples pure lips, So that all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him [d]shoulder to shoulder. WE NEED PURE SPEECH.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, [e]My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings. WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER, WORSHIP AND GIVE OFFERINGS.
11 On that day you will feel no shame Because of all your deeds By which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst Your proud, arrogant ones, And you will never again be haughty On My holy mountain. WE NEED HUMILITY.
A Remnant of Israel
12 But I will leave among you A humble and lowly people, And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD. THE LORD IS OUR PROTECTION.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong And tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down With no one to frighten them.” THERE ARE SERIOUS JEWS. MESSIANICS FOLLOW JESUS.
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, Israel! Rejoice and triumph with all your heart, Daughter of Jerusalem! THE LORD IS OK WITH SHOUTING.
15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will no longer fear disaster. THIS IS PROPHETIC OF JESUS TAKING AWAY THE SIN OF HUMANKIND IF WE REPENT.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. RAISE YOUR HANDS IN PRAISE!
17 The LORD your God is in your midst, A [f]victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will [g]be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. YOU ARE EXALTED SONG. GOD REJOICES OVER US AND LOVES US.
18 I will gather those who are worried about the appointed feasts—They [h]came from you, Zion; The disgrace of exile is a burden on [i]them.
19 Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors; I will save those who limp And gather the scattered, And I will turn their shame into praise and fame In all the earth. THE LORD WILL DEAL WITH OUR ENEMIES.
20 At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will make you famous and praiseworthy Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the LORD. IF WE ARE FAMOUS IT’S DUE TO THE LORD. SEEK 1ST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND OUR NEEDS WILL BE MET.
Footnotes
Zephaniah 3:5 Lit is not missing
Zephaniah 3:5 Or sinner
Zephaniah 3:9 Lit change
Zephaniah 3:9 Lit with one shoulder
Zephaniah 3:10 Lit the daughter of My dispersed ones
Zephaniah 3:17 Lit A warrior who saves
Zephaniah 3:17 Or with some ancient versions, renew you in
Zephaniah 3:18 Lit were
Zephaniah 3:18 Lit her
