The deep ocean roars. Its waves rise up high.

11 The sun and the moon stand still.

They scatter at the light of your arrows, at the bright lightning of your spear.

12 You march through the earth with fury.

You trample the nations in anger.

13 You go out to save your people, to save your anointed.a You crush the leader of the wicked household, stripping him bare from head to toe.

Selah 14 You pierce the leader of his gang with his own arrows.

His soldiers come like a violent storm to scatter me.

They are arrogant like those who secretly eat up the poor.

15 You march with your horses into the sea, into the mighty raging waters.

16 I have heard, so there's trembling within me.

At the report my lips quivered.

A rotten feeling has entered me.

I tremble where I stand.

I wait for the day of trouble to come to the people who will attack us.

17 Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle- 18 even then, I will be happy with Yahweh .

I will truly find joy in God, who saves me.

19 Yahweh Adonay is my strength.

He makes my feet like those of a deer.

He makes me walk on the mountains.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments.

a 2:4 Masoretic Text; Greek "live because of my faith."

a 3:1 Unknown musical term.

a 3:13 Or "to save with your anointed."

Introduction to ZEPHANIAH.

Zephaniah had connections. His greatgrandfather was Hezekiah, Judah's most faithful king. Perhaps that was why Zephaniah felt secure enough to get straight to the point when God gave him a message of impending doom.

Two evil kings had followed Hezekiah. Manasseh, who ruled for fifty-five years, turned Judah into a nation of idolaters. Amon, who ruled for only two years before being assassinated, was as bad as his father. Zephaniah lived during the reign of Amon's son, Josiah. Only eight years old when he began to reign, Josiah began reforming Judah's worship a few years later. Zephaniah may have prophesied in Josiah's early years, when Judah was still under the influence of the two bad kings. Or he may have prophesied later, during the time of reform, urging the people to turn away from sin while there was still time. (You can read about Josiah's reign in 2 Kings 22:1-23:30 and 2 Chronicles 34-35.) Zephaniah's message is short and direct: God will judge the earth and destroy all people and animals. He will not only judge Judah's enemies. In fact Judah is first on his list because Judah is idolatrous, violent, and unjust. God's judgment will extend to all nations. "The whole earth will be consumed by [God's] fiery anger" (Zephaniah 1:18). Everyone's arrogance and pride will be punished. Nineveh, the capital of Judah's main enemy at this time, "used to think to itself, 'I'm the only one, and no one else exists but me'" (2:15)-but it will become a wasteland where wild animals roam. Jerusalem, who "does not accept correction" (3:2), will be demolished.

But Zephaniah does not leave his people without hope. If they search for the Lord, if they do what is right, if they learn humility-just maybe God will spare them. A few years later the prophet Ezekiel will write, "'As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, I don't want wicked people to die. Rather, I want them to turn from their ways and live'" (Ezekiel 33:11). Zephaniah ends his prophecy by praising God for reversing his judgments against Jerusalem. God does not want to destroy his people. He wants to save them, to gather them home, to heal them, and to restore their prosperity.

Key Names of God in Zephaniah Yahweh LORD Adonay Lord, Master Elohim God Yahweh Tsebaoth the LORD Almighty, the LORD of Armies, the LORD of Hosts Melek King ZEPHANIAH.

1 2 3.

Zephaniah's Prophecy 1 1 This is the word that Yahweh spoke to Zephaniah, who was the son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the greatgrandson of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. The LORD spoke his word in the days of Judah's King Josiah, son of Amon.

The LORD Will Judge the Earth 2 "I will gather everything on the face of the earth and put an end to it," declares Yahweh.

3 "I will put an end to humans and animals.

I will put an end to the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the sins that make people fall, together with the sinners.

I will remove all people from the face of the earth," declares Yahweh.

The LORD Will Judge Judah 4 "I will use my power against Judah and against those who live in Jerusalem.

I will remove the faithful few of Baal from this place and the names of the pagan priests along with my priests.

5 I will remove those who worship all the stars in the sky on their rooftops and those who worship by swearing loyalty to Yahweh while also swearing loyalty to the god Milcom.a 6 I will remove those who have turned away from following Yahweh and those who no longer seek Yahweh or ask him for help."

7 Be silent in the presence of Adonay Yahweh , because the day of Yahweh is near.

Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice.

He has invited his special guests.

8 "On the day of Yahweh's sacrifice I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who dress in foreign clothing.b 9 On that day I will punish all who jump over the doorway and all who fill their master's house with violence and deception.

10 On that day a loud cry will come from Fish Gate, a howling from the Second Part of the city, and a loud crashing sound from the hills," declares Yahweh.

11 "Howl, inhabitants of the Mortar,a because all the merchants will be destroyed and all who handle money will be killed.

12 "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are satisfied with their hardened lifestyle, who think that Yahweh won't do anything-good or bad.

13 Their wealth will be looted.

Their homes will be demolished.

They will build houses, but they won't live in them.

They will plant vineyards, but they won't drink their wine."

The Day of the LORD 14 The frightening day of Yahweh is near.

It is near and coming very quickly.

Listen! Warriors will cry out bitterly on the day of Yahweh.

15 That day will be a day of overflowing fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and overcast skies, 16 a day of rams' horns and battle cries against the fortified cities and against the high corner towers.

17 "I will bring such distress on humans that they will walk like they are blind, because they have sinned against Yahweh."

Their blood will be poured out like dust and their intestines like manure.

18 Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them on the day of Yahweh's overflowing fury.

The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery anger, because he will put an end, a frightening end, to those who live on earth.

A Call for Judah to Turn Away from Sin 2 1 Gather yourselves together!

Yes, gather together, you shameless nation, 2 before the decree is carried out and the day passes like windblown husks, before Yahweh's burning anger comes to you, before the day of Yahweh's anger comes to you.

3 Search for Yahweh, all you humble people in the land who carry out his justice.

Search for what is right.

Search for humility.

Maybe you will find shelter on the day of Yahweh's anger.

The LORD Will Judge His People's Enemies 4 Gaza will be deserted, and Ashkelon will be destroyed.

Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be torn out by the roots.

could be entered through the Fish Gate.

5 How horrible it will be for those who live on the seacoast, for the nation from Crete.

The word of Yahweh is against you, Canaan, the land of the Philistines: "I will destroy you so that no one will be living there."

6 The seacoast will become pastureland with meadows for shepherds and fenced-off places for sheep.

7 The coast will belong to the faithful few from the nation of Judah.

There they will graze their sheep.

In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon.

Yahweh their Elohim will take care of them and will restore their fortunes.

8 "I have heard the insults from Moab and the mockery from Ammon.

They insulted my people and bragged about their territory.

9 Therefore, I solemnly swear, as I live,"

declares Yahweh Tsebaoth , the Elohim of Israel, "Moab will become like Sodom, and Ammon will become like Gomorrah: a place of weeds, salt pits, and ruins forever.

The faithful few of my people will loot them, and those who are left in my nation will take possession of them."

10 This is what they will get for their sinful pride, because they insulted the people who belong to Yahweh Tsebaoth and made themselves greater than them.

11 Yahweh will terrify them, because he will make all the gods of the earth waste away.

So every person from every coast and nation will bow to him.

12 "Even you, the people from Sudan, you will also die by my sword."

13 Yahweh will use his power against the north and destroy Assyria.

He will turn Nineveh into a deserted ruin, a dried up wasteland like the desert.

14 Flocks will lie down in it along with animals of every kind.

Even pelicans and herons will nest on top of its columns.

Listen! A bird will sing in a window.

The doorway will be in ruins, because Yahweh will expose the cedar beams.

15 Is this the arrogant city?

Is this the city that used to live securely, the city that used to think to itself, "I'm the only one, and no one else exists but me"?

What a wasteland it is now, a resting place for wild animals!

All who pass by it will hiss and make an obscene gesture.

Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed 3 1 How horrible it will be for that rebellious and corrupt place, the city of violence.

2 It obeys no one.

It does not accept correction.