Zephaniah On Warnings By G-d

G-d’s wrath can always be reversed. But how?

Repentance. Improving your ways, your actions, reactions and intentions.

Read or listen in plain words.

“Improve Yourself”

“Seek Hashem”

Improve yourselves and improve each other, O nation without desire,
2:1
before the decree is born, the day will become like chaff; before Hashem’s burning wrath comes upon you; before the day of Hashem’s anger come upon you.
2:2
Seek Hashem, all you humble of the land who have fulfilled His law; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be concealed on the day of Hashem’s anger.
2:3
… for Hashem, their God, will remember them and will return their captivity.
:7
I have heard the taunt of Moab and the jeers of the Children of Ammon who taunted My people, and expanded [their territory] along their border.
:8
This they shall have in place of their haughtiness, for they taunted and boasted over the people of Hashem, Master of Legions.
:10
Hashem will be fearsome unto them, for He will enfeeble all the powers of the earth. And they will prostrate themselves to Him, each man from his place, all the islands of the nations.
:11

1 Gather yourselves together! Yea, gather together, O nation that has no desire,
2 before the decree is born, as chaff that passes..the sun; before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you; before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who executed His judgment; Seek righteousness, seek humility! Perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s wrath.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become wasteland. Ashdod-At noon they shall drive her out, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan land of the Philistines, and I will destroy you so that there shall not be an inhabitant.
6 And the seacoast shall be breakfast nooks for shepherds and sheepfolds.
7 And it shall be a lot for the remnant of the house of Judah, whereupon they shall pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down in the evening, for the Lord their God shall visit upon them and return their captivity.
8 I heard the taunts of Moab and the jeers of the children of Ammon, who taunted My people, and they aggrandized themselves on their border.
9 Therefore, as I live-says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel-for Moab shall be like Sodom, and the children of Ammon like Gemorrah; a rattling of nettles, and a salt mine, and desolation forever. The remnant of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of My nation shall inherit them.
10 They shall have this instead of their haughtiness, for they taunted and aggrandized themselves over the people of the Lord of Hosts.
11 The Lord shall be feared by them, for He weakened all the gods of the earth. And every man shall prostrate himself to Him from his place, all the isles of the nations.
12 You, too, Cushites-they are the slain of My sword.
13 And He shall incline His hand on the north, and destroy Assyria and make Nineveh desolate wasteland like the desert.
14 And flocks shall lie down in its midst, all the beasts of the nations. Also, both the pelican and the owl shall lodge in its lintels. Their voice shall sing in the window; desolation, in the doorpost-for the cedarwork has been destroyed.
15 This is the joyful city, dwelling securely, saying to herself, “I am, and there is none besides me.” How did it become desolate, a resting place for the beasts? Yea, everyone who passes by her shall hiss and wave his hand.