Zephaniah 1
(1) Intro
This is the Existing One’s message that came to Zephaniah in Josiah’s time. (Zephaniah’s name means “the Existing One has treasured,” and He was the son of Cushi, who was the son of Gedaliah, who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Hezekiah. Josiah was Amon’s son and Judah’s king.)
(2) God will Bring Everything to and End
In the message, God said,
“I will bring everything on earth to an end. I’ll put and end human beings and animals. I’ll put an end to the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. I’ll put an end the things that make people stumble, and I’ll put and end to the people who are corrupt. I’ll erase mankind from the face of the earth.
“I’ll exercise My power against Judah and all the people who live in Jerusalem. I’ll cut off whatever’s left of Baal in this place. I’ll cut off the priests of other gods. I’ll cut off the people who get on their rooftops and bow down to the stars. I’ll cut off the people who bow to Me and swear by Me while also swearing by Molech [the Ammonite god]. I’ll cut off everyone who stopped following Me, stopped looking for Me, and stopped asking Me for advice.
(7) God will Punish the Godless
“Quiet yourselves in the company of the Ruler, the Existing One. My day is coming. I’ve prepared a sacrifice and honored My guests by fully purifying them.
“Then, on the day of My sacrifice, I’ll punish the rulers, the king’s sons, and everyone who puts on foreign clothes. On that day, I’ll punish everyone who tramples on My temple’s doorway, filling their Master’s house with violence and deceit. On that day, an outcry will come from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, and a crashing sound from the hills. To everyone who lives in the Mortar valley: you can go ahead and wail, because everyone in Canaan will be destroyed.
“Everyone who stockpiles money will be cut off. I’ll search Jerusalem with floodlights and punish everyone whose spirit is congealing like gravy that’s been left out too long. I’ll punish the people who think to themselves, ‘The Existing One won’t do anything good or bad.’ Their wealth will be looted, and their houses ransacked. Yes, they’ll build houses, but won’t get to live in them. They’ll plant vineyards, but won’t get to drink their wine.”
(14) People Don’t Realize the Severity of Rejecting God
“My intense day is close and rapidly approaching. On that day, the mighty will cry bitterly. There will be lots of anger on that day. It will be a day of trouble and distress; a day of devastation and ruin; a day of darkness and gloominess; a day of clouds and heavy darkness; a day of trumpet blasts and battle cries. All those things will oppose the fortified cities and their high corner towers.
“I’ll put so much pressure on mankind that they’ll walk like blind people. My reason for doing that is because they’ve wandered away from My mode of operation. Their blood will be poured out like mortar, and their intestines will spill out like feces.
“Their silver and gold won’t be able to save them on the day that the Existing One has an outburst. The entire world will be consumed in the fire of My jealousy. I will completely annihilate all the earth’s inhabitants—and it will be terrifying.”
