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Zephaniah

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Chapters
ch. 1  

Introduction to Zephaniah:
Author: Zephaniah (1:1).Time of His Ministry: About 630 B.C., at the time of Habakkuk and Jeremiah, not long before the beginning of the Babylonian captivity (605 B.C.).Place of His Ministry: Judah.Object of His Ministry: The territory of Judah and Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.

Subject of Zephaniah:
Jehovah's Judgment on Israel and on the Nations
and His Salvation to the Gentiles and to Israel

Zephaniah

Chapter 1 of 3

Verses
vv. 1    5     10     15   

I.  The introductory word1:1

Zep 1:1 - The word of Jehovah that came to 1Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of aJosiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah.

II.  Jehovah's judgment1:2-3:8

A.  On Israel1:2-2:3
Zep 1:2 - I will utterly remove everythingFrom off the face of the earth,Declares Jehovah.
Zep 1:3 - I will remove man and beast;I will remove the abirds of heaven and the fish of the sea,And the bstumbling blocks with the wicked;And I will cut off manFrom the face of the earth,Declares Jehovah.Zep 1:4 - And I will stretch out My hand against JudahAnd against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,And I will cut off the remnant of aBaal from this place,And the name of the idol priests with the priests,Zep 1:5 - And those who worship upon the housetopsThe ahost of heaven,And the worshippers who swear to JehovahAnd swear by 1Malcam,Zep 1:6 - And those who have been turned back from going after JehovahAnd have not sought JehovahAnd have not inquired of Him.
Zep 1:7 - Be asilent before the Lord Jehovah,For the 1bday of Jehovah is near;For Jehovah has prepared a 2csacrifice;He has 3consecrated those whom He has called.Zep 1:8 - And in the day of the sacrifice of JehovahI will punish the princesAnd the sons of the kingAnd all who wearThe clothing of foreigners.
Zep 1:9 - And in that day I will punishAll who leap over the threshold,Who fill their master’s houseWith violence and deceit.Zep 1:10 - And in that day, declares Jehovah,There will be the sound of an outcry from the Fish GateAnd wailing from the second districtAnd a great crashing from the hills.Zep 1:11 - Wail, O inhabitants of Maktesh,For all the people of Canaan are destroyed,All who are laden with silver are cut off.
Zep 1:12 - And at that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps,And I will punish the menWho have asettled on their lees,Who bsay in their heart,Jehovah will not do good,Nor will He do evil.Zep 1:13 - And their wealth will become plunder,And their houses, a desolation.Indeed they will abuild houses but not inhabit them,And they will plant bvineyards but not drink the wine from them.Zep 1:14 - The agreat day of Jehovah is near;It is near and hastens greatly.The sound of the day of Jehovah!The mighty man bitterly cries there.Zep 1:15 - That day is a aday of overflowing wrath,A day of trouble and distress,A day of waste and ruin,A day of bdarkness and gloom,A day of clouds and deep darkness,
Zep 1:16 - A day of trumpet and alarmAgainst the fortified citiesAnd against the high battlements.
Zep 1:17 - And I will bring distress upon the men,So that they walk about like the ablind,For they have sinned against Jehovah;And their blood will be poured out like dust,And their bowels like dung.
Zep 1:18 - Neither their asilver nor their goldWill be able to deliver themIn the day of the overflowing wrath of Jehovah;But the whole land will be devoured by the bfire of His jealousy,For He will make an end, nothing other than sudden destruction,Of all the inhabitants of the land.

Zephaniah

Chapter 2 of 3

Verses
vv. 1    5     10     15

Zep 2:1 - 1aGather yourselves together, yes, gather,O nation that has no shame,Zep 2:2 - Before the decree has effect,(The day passes like chaff)Before there comes upon youThe burning anger of Jehovah,Before there comes upon youThe day of Jehovah’s anger.Zep 2:3 - aSeek Jehovah,All you meek of the earth,Who have performed His judgments.Seek righteousness;Seek meekness;Perhaps you will be hiddenIn the day of Jehovah’s anger.
B.  On the nations2:4-15
1.  On the Philistines — vv. 4-7
Zep 2:4 - For aGaza will be a forsaken city,And Ashkelon will become a desolation;As for Ashdod, they will drive it out at noontime,And Ekron will be rooted up.Zep 2:5 - Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast,O nation of Cherethites!The word of Jehovah is against you,O Canaan, O land of the Philistines:I will destroy you so that there will be no inhabitant.
Zep 2:6 - And the seacoast will be pastures with shepherds’ cavesAnd folds for flocks.Zep 2:7 - And the area will beFor the aremnant of the house of Judah;They will feed their flocks upon them.In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,For Jehovah their God will visit themAnd turn again their captivity.
2.  On Moab and Ammon — vv. 8-11
Zep 2:8 - I have heard the reproaching of aMoabAnd the revilings of the children of bAmmon,By which they have reproached My peopleAnd magnified themselves against their border.Zep 2:9 - Therefore as I live,Declares Jehovah of hosts,The God of Israel,Moab will surely be like Sodom,And the children of Ammon like Gomorrah,A possession of scrubsAnd salt pitsAnd a perpetual desolation;The remnant of My people will spoil them,And the residue of My nation will inherit them.Zep 2:10 - This will they have for their pride, for they reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
Zep 2:11 - Jehovah will be terrible to them, for He will make all the gods of the earth vanish, and all the coastlands of the nations will aworship Him, each from his own place.
3.  On the Cushitesv. 12
4.  On Assyria — vv. 13-15
Zep 2:12 - You 1aCushites alsoWill be slain by My sword.Zep 2:13 - And He will stretch out His hand against the northAnd will destroy aAssyria,And will make bNineveh a desolationAnd a desert, like the wilderness.Zep 2:14 - And herds will stretch out in the midst of her,And animals of every kind;Both the pelican and the porcupineWill lodge in her capitals.Their voice will sing in the windows;Desolation is upon the threshold;For He has laid the cedar work bare.
Zep 2:15 - aThis is the jubilant cityThat dwelt securely,That said in her heart, I am,And there is none besides me.How she has become a desolation,A place for animals to stretch out!Everyone who passes by her will hissAnd wave his hand at her.

Zephaniah

Chapter 3 of 3

Verses
vv. 1    5     10    
15     20

C.  On Israel3:1-7
Zep 3:1 - Woe to the 1rebellious and defiled one,To the oppressing city!Zep 3:2 - She has anot listened to the voice;She has not taken the correction.She has not trusted in Jehovah;She has not drawn near to her God.Zep 3:3 - Her princes in the midst of herAre roaring lions.Her judges are wolves of the evening;They have left nothing until the morning.Zep 3:4 - Her prophets are vainglorious;They are men of treachery.Her priests have defiled the sanctuary;They have done violence to the law.Zep 3:5 - Jehovah is righteous in the amidst of her;He does no wrong;Morning by morning He bbrings His justice to light;He does not fail; but he who is wrong knows no shame.Zep 3:6 - I have cut off nations;Their battlements are desolated;I have made their streets a waste,So that no one passes through;Their cities are destroyed,So that there is no one,So that there is no inhabitant.
Zep 3:7 - I said, Only fear Me;Take the correction;That her habitation might not be cut off,According to all that I have appointed concerning her.But they rose up early to corruptAll their deeds.
D.  On all the nations3:8
Zep 3:8 - Therefore await on Me, declares Jehovah,For the day when I rise up to the prey.For My decision is to assemble the nations,To gather kingdoms together,That I may pour out upon them My wrath,All My burning anger;For in the bfire of My jealousyAll the earth will be devoured.

III.  Jehovah's salvation3:9-20

A.  To the Gentilesv. 9
Zep 3:9 - For then I will change the language of the peoplesInto a 1pure alanguageThat they may all call upon the name of Jehovah,To bserve Him with one 2accord.
B.  To Israel — vv. 10-20
Zep 3:10 - From beyond the rivers of 1Cush my suppliants,The daughter of My dispersed, will bring My meal offering.Zep 3:11 - In that day you will not be put to shame because of all your deeds,By which you have transgressed against Me;For then I will take away from your midstThose who exult in your majesty,And you will never again be haughtyOn My holy mountain.Zep 3:12 - And I will leave in the midst of youAn afflicted and poor people,And they will take refuge in the name of Jehovah.
Zep 3:13 - The remnant of Israel will not do wrong;And they will not speak lies,Nor will there be found in their mouthA deceitful tongue;For they will have pasture and lie down,And there will be no one to frighten them.Zep 3:14 - Give a aringing shout, O daughter of Zion!Shout in triumph, O Israel!Rejoice and exult with all your heart,O daughter of Jerusalem!Zep 3:15 - Jehovah has taken away your judgments;He has turned aside your 1enemy.The 2King of Israel, Jehovah, is in the amidst of you;You will not 3see evil again.Zep 3:16 - In that day it will be said to Jerusalem,Fear not, O Zion;Let not your hands drop.
Zep 3:17 - Jehovah your God in the midst of youIs a mighty One who saves;He will be jubilant over you with arejoicing;He will rest in His love;He will exult over you with a ringing shout.
Zep 3:18 - I will gather those who mourn for the appointed assembly,Who were of you.The reproach was a burden upon 1them.
Zep 3:19 - Indeed at that timeI will deal with all who afflict you;And I will save that which is lame,And that which has been driven away I will gather.And I will make them a praise and a nameIn every land where their shame had been.Zep 3:20 - At that time I will bring you in,And at that time I will gather you;For I will cause you to be a name and a praiseAmong all the peoples of the earth,When I aturn again your captivity before your eyes,Says Jehovah.Book of Zephaniah
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