Zephaniah

1:1 This is the prophetic message that the LORD gave to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah: The Lord’s Day of Judgment is Approaching 1:2 “I will destroy everything from the face of the earth,” says the LORD. 1:3 “I will destroy people and animals; I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. (The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.) I will remove humanity from the face of the earth,” says the LORD. 1:4 “I will attack Judah and all who live in Jerusalem. I will remove from this place every trace of Baal worship, as well as the very memory of

The Prophet Warns the People 2:1 Bunch yourselves together like straw, you undesirable nation, 2:2 before God’s decree becomes reality and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, before the LORD’s raging anger overtakes you – before the day of the LORD’s angry judgment overtakes you! 2:3 Seek the LORD’s favor, all you humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands! Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble! Maybe you will be protected on the day of the LORD’s angry judgment. Judgment on Surrounding Nations 2:4 Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, and Ekron will be overthrown. 2:5 Those who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete, are as good as dead. The

3:1 The filthy, stained city is as good as dead; the city filled with oppressors is finished! 3:2 She is disobedient; she refuses correction. She does not trust the LORD; she does not seek the advice of her God. 3:3 Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions; her rulers are as hungry as wolves in the desert, who completely devour their prey by morning. 3:4 Her prophets are proud; they are deceitful men. Her priests defile what is holy; they break God’s laws. 3:5 The just LORD resides within her; he commits no unjust acts. Every morning he reveals his justice. At dawn he appears without fail. Yet the unjust know no shame. The Lord’s Judgment will Purify 3:6 “I destroyed nations; their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them. Their cities are desolate; no one lives there. 3:7 I