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Zephaniah 1

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1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.

3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor inquired for him.

7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.

11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Scriptural Confirmations #58

  
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58. 30.

Behold upon the mountains the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah keep thy feasts, for Belial shall no longer pass through thee; everyone shall be cut off (Nahum 1:15).

It is called the day of cold (Nahum 3:17).

I will utterly consume all things from off the surface of the earth; I will consume man and beast; I will consume the bird of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea; I will cut off man from the surface of the earth (Zephaniah 1:2-3).

Whilst the fierce anger of Jehovah come not yet upon you; whilst the day of the anger of Jehovah come not yet upon you; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the anger of Jehovah. Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon a waste, when Jehovah their God shall visit them (Zephaniah 2:2-4, 7).

Moab shall be as Sodom, the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, a place left for the nettle, and a pit of salt, and a waste to eternity (Zephaniah 2:9).

After the vastation and the Last Judgment which are treated of in the preceding passages, these words follow: Then at last will I turn to the peoples with a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah to serve Him with one shoulder. The remnant of Israel shall not do perversity, nor speak a lie, nor shall the tongue of deceit be found in their mouth. Shout, be glad, and exult with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The King of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of thee, thou shalt not fear evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, fear thou not. Jehovah God is in the midst of thee; He, mighty, will save, He will be glad over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will exult over thee with shouting. At that time I will bring you, in it I will gather you, for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth (Zephaniah 3:9-20).

Yet once a little while, when I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; then will I shake all nations that the choice of all nations may come, that I may fill this house with glory. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, for in this place He will give peace (Haggai 2:6-9).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.