Zephaniah 2: Naeum Yehoweh, Word Yehoweh, Jesus, is the Life to the righteous and humble and a day of His temper is devastation to other-god worshippers.

1: Gather-yourselves-to-make-yourselves-assemble (for harvesting vs Asaph in Chpt 1 which was gather-to-remove like weeds). And gather-to-assemble the unbelieving nations not yearned for.

2: Before a law was to birth, like threshed-chaff crosses over a day,

Before Yehoweh’s furious temper does not traverse over you,

Before a day of Yehoweh’s temper does not traverse over you,

3: Seek for Yehoweh, all humble of the earth who performed His justice.

Seek righteousness.

Seek humility.

Maybe you’re hidden from a day of  Yehoweh’s temper.

4: For forsaken Aza (Gaza-strength), she is happening.

And Ashkelon (yoke-balance, coastal Philistine city) to desolation

They will expel Ashdod (devastator from Shadad, Dagon worshipping, one of 5 Philistine city states W of Jerusalem) when (it is) doubly bright (noontime).

And Ekron (aker =uproot, the iron tech, Beelzebub worship SW Cnan centre – another of 5 Philistine city states – only Gath is not mentioned here), she is uprooted (they-akrai).

Pause and think!

5: Ayyo! Inhabitants of the sea territory of the Kerethites’ nation (foreign mercenary warriors of King David).

Yehoweh’s word (dabar) is over you, Cnan (humbled/subdued) of the Philistines.

And I cause you to be destroyed. Not a single inhabitant.

6: And it was that the sea territory, she was home to the water holes of the shepherd/pasturers and enclosures for the flock.

7: And the remnant territory, he was a home of Judah. There, in the houses of Ashkelon, he pastures, he lies down in the evening. For they are appointed-to-account by Yehoweh their God. 

And he returned their captives.

8: I herd the public humiliation of Moab (of-father ie Lot’s daughter’s son from her father – modern Jordanians, Chemosh worshippers).

And the blasphemies of Ammon’s (people, Milkom/Molek worshippers, Jordanian) sons with which they publicly humiliated my people (Ammi) and magnified their borders.

9: Therefore, I, Word Yehoweh of Parliaments, God of Israel am Life. And like Sodom (scorched), happens Moab.

And sons of Moab like Gomorrah (bound sheaves) – a thorny weed territory. A Salt dungeon and a desolation.

My remnant people seize them for ever. The remaining of my people inherit them.

10: This is a lowered pride for they publicly humiliated and magnified themselves over people of Yehoweh of Parliaments.

11: To them Yehoweh is feared for he minimized all The gods of the earth and they bend their knee to (worship) Him – each man from his place from all habitations of unbelieving nations.

12: Also you Ethiopians (Cush), they are my sword-pierced.

13: And He stretches His hand over the north (Tsafone – mysterious hidden place), destroys Ashur (Assyria) and sets Ninveh (this was written in 635-625 BC. Ashur’s capital subsequently fell in 612 BC bringing Ashur to an end)  to desolation and dry as a wilderness.

14: Herds of all living things lay down in her midst – also pelican (vomiting bird), also hedgehog (curled up) lodge in its column ornamentation.

A voice sings in a window. Thresholds are desolate for He laid bare the grounds.

15: This, the exultant city with secure dwellers whose said in her heart, “I”, and “no end ever again”.

How had she become a desolation? A resting place for living things?

All who cross over her whistle and wobble their hand.

Pause and think!

Prayer: El Shaddai, the Devastator of Kingdoms and people who are not righteous and humble and who worship other gods,  You give their inheritance to Your People and we commemorated this on this Sabbath, Purim, March and Adar the 15^th, 2025, when you billboarded one of the blood moon tetrads of this year over the Americas. We bow down in awe and worship and look to see the places of the Hamans being given to the Mordechais. Amen.