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World English Bible: Zephaniah

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This is the Book of Zephaniah, a prophetic text from the Hebrew Bible attributed to the prophet Zephaniah during the reign of King Josiah of Judah (7th century BCE). The work follows the classic structure of Israelite prophecy: divine judgment oracles followed by promises of restoration. Its central content is an announcement of the "Day of Yahweh" — a coming catastrophe of cosmic scale in which God will destroy not just Judah and Jerusalem but surrounding nations (Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, Assyria) as punishment for idolatry, religious syncretism, moral corruption, and arrogant self-sufficiency. A distinctive and unusually sweeping feature is the opening declaration of total annihilation of all living things from the earth's surface, framing the judgment in near-apocalyptic terms that go beyond most prophetic literature. The text also singles out a specific spiritual failing: complacent religious indifference — those who believe Yahweh "will do neither good nor evil" — as particularly culpable alongside active idolaters. The final chapter pivots sharply to restoration, promising that after purging the proud, Yahweh will preserve a humble remnant, gather the dispersed, and dwell among his people — closing with an unusually tender image of God rejoicing over Jerusalem with singing.

World English Bible: Zephaniah

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