Xīfānyǎshū 1:4-18

4 Wǒ bì shēnshǒu gōngjī Yóudà hé Yēlùsǎlĕng de yīqiè jūmín . yĕ bì cóng zhè dìfang jiǎnchú suǒ shèngxia de bā lì , bìng jī mǎ lín de míng hé jìsī ,

5 Yǔ nàxiē zaì fáng dǐng shang jìngbaì tiān shang wàn xiàng de , bìng nàxiē jìngbaì Yēhéhuá zhǐ zhe tā qǐshì , yòu zhǐ zhe mǎ lēi kān qǐshì de ,

6 Yǔ nàxiē zhuǎn qù bù gēn cóng Yēhéhuá de , hé bù xúnqiú Yēhéhuá , yĕ bù fǎngwèn tāde .

7 Nǐ yào zaì zhǔ Yēhéhuá miànqián jìngmò wú shēng , yīnwei Yēhéhuá de rìzi kuaì dào . Yēhéhuá yǐjing yùbeì jìwù , jiāng tāde kè fēnbié wèi shèng .

8 Dào le wǒ Yēhéhuá xiànjì de rìzi , bì chéngfá shǒulǐng hé wáng zǐ , bìng yīqiè chuān waì bāng yīfu de .

9 Dào nà rì , wǒ bì chéngfá yīqiè tiào guō mén jiàn , jiāng qiángbào hé guǐzhà dé lái zhī wù chōngmǎn zhǔrén fángwū de .

10 Yēhéhuá shuō , dāng nà rì , cóng yú mén bì fāchū bēiāi de shēngyīn , cóng èr chéng fāchū āi hào de shēngyīn , cóng shān jiān fāchū dà pòliè de xiǎngshēng .

11 Mǎ gé tí shī de jūmín nǎ , nǐmen yào āi hào , yīnwei Jiānán de shāng mín dōu mièwáng le . fán bān yùn yínzi de dōu beì jiǎnchú .

12 Nàshí , wǒ bì yòng dēng xún chá Yēlùsǎlĕng . wǒ bì chéngfá nàxiē rú jiǔ zaì zhā zǐ shang dèng qīng de . tāmen xīnli shuō , Yēhéhuá bì bù jiàng fú , yĕ bù jiàng huò .

13 Tāmende cáibǎo , bì chéngwéi luè wù , tāmende fángwū , bì biàn wèi huāng cháng . tāmen bì jiànzào fángwū , què bùdé zhù zaì qí neì , zāizhòng pútaóyuán , què bùdé hē suǒ chū de jiǔ .

14 Yēhéhuá de dà rì línjìn , línjìn érqiĕ shén kuaì , nǎi shì Yēhéhuá rìzi de fēngshēng . yǒng shì bì tòng tòng de kū hào .

15 Nà rì shì fèn nù de rìzi , shì jí nán kùnkǔ de rìzi , shì huāng feì qī liáng de rìzi , shì hēiàn , yōu míng , mì yún , wūhēi de rìzi .

16 Shì chuī jiǎo nà hǎn de rìzi , yào gōngjī jiāngù chéng , hé gāo dà de chéng lóu .

17 Wǒ bì shǐ zāihuò líndào rénshēn shang , shǐ tāmen xíng zǒu rútóng xiāyǎn de , yīnwei dé zuì le wǒ . tāmende xuè , bì dǎo chū rú huī chén , tāmende ròu , bì pāo qì rú fèntǔ .

18 Dāng Yēhéhuá fānù de rìzi , tāmende jīn yín bùnéng jiù tāmen . tāde fèn nù rú huǒ , bì shāo miè quán dì , huǐmiè zhè dì de yīqiè jūmín , érqiĕ dàdà de huǐmiè .

Xīfānyǎshū 1:4-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH

This book in some Hebrew copies is called "Sepher Zephaniah", the Book of Zephaniah. Its title, in the Vulgate Latin version, is, the Prophecy of Zephaniah; and, in the Syriac version, the Prophecy of the Prophet Zephaniah; and so the Arabic version calls him a prophet; and he is the last of the minor prophets that prophesied before the Babylonish captivity. The time of his prophesying, as well as his, parentage, are expressed Zep 1:1, and therefore need not be inquired into; only the sad mistake of Hobbes {a} may be observed, who makes him to be the most ancient of the prophets, and to be contemporary with Amaziah and Uzziah, kings of Judah, when he is expressly said to prophesy in the days of Josiah. Pseudo-Epiphanius {b} calls him a prophet of Sarabatha, of a mountain of that name, and says he was of the tribe of Simeon; and in this Isidore {c} agrees with him; and both affirm that he died and was buried in his own native place; but the author of the Cippi Hebraici {d} says he was buried at Geba, in Mount Lebanon, in the midst of a cave shut up, where his school continues; and from which place the clouds never depart, and where also are flowing fountains. His name, according to Jerom, signifies either "the Lord's watch tower", or "watchman"; or else "the secret of the Lord"; or, "his hidden one"; deriving his name, either from hpu, which signifies to "look out", as a watchman from his tower; or from Npu, "to hide"; which latter derivation is best; and some interpret it "a revealer of the secrets", or "hidden things, of the Lord"; and take it to be much the same with Zaphnathpaaneah, the name given to Joseph by Pharaoh, Ge 41:45, and is of the same signification: but Hillerus {e} interprets the name of Zephaniah, "the Lord hid himself"; which agrees with the times in which he lived. That this prophecy was wrote by himself, there need be no doubt of; nor of the authenticity of it, being always received by the Jewish synagogue as authentic; and as it appears to be from its style and manner of composition; from the subject matter of it agreeing with other parts of Scripture, especially with Jeremiah and Ezekiel; and from the accomplishment of various prophecies in it. There are indeed some spurious things which have been ascribed to him, as the "analepsis" or assumption of Zephaniah the prophet, and the prophecy of Zephaniah, consisting of six hundred verses; but these are apocryphal, and have no likeness to this prophecy; in which he foretells the destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans for their sins, which he inveighs against, and calls them to repentance for them, as also the ruin of many other nations, all which came to pass; as well as he prophesies of the calling of the Gentiles, and the conversion of the Jews, and of the comfortable state of the church in Gospel times, and especially in the latter day.

{a} Leviathan, c. 33. {b} De Prophet. Vita & Interitu, c. 19. {c} De Vita & Morte Sanct. c. 48. {d} P. 50. Ed. Hottinger. {e} Onomastic. Sacr. p. 471, 952.

\\INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH 1\\

After the title of the book, Zep 1:1, follows the Lord's threatening of the land of Judea with an utter consumption of it, and of all creatures in it, for the sins of its inhabitants, especially their idolatry and apostasy, Zep 1:2-6, and this is represented under the notion of a sacrifice, to which guests are bid; and which even princes, and those of the blood royal, should not escape, nor ministers of state, or such who filled their masters' houses with violence, Zep 1:7-9. Some particular places are mentioned, where there should be a great noise of crying and howling, and especially Jerusalem, which should be diligently searched, and its goods become a booty, and its houses desolate, Zep 1:10-13. This destruction is spoken of as near at hand, and is described as very terrible and distressing, Zep 1:14-17 and as inevitable; nothing would be able to deliver from it, Zep 1:18.