CHAPTER 1 Dec. 15 
Coming Destruction 
The word of Yahweh which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2I will utterly sweep away everything off of the surface of the earth, says Yahweh. 3I will sweep away man and animal. I will sweep away the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and the idols along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the surface of the earth, says Yahweh. 
Against Judah 
4I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place: the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests, 5those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam, 6those who have turned back from following Yahweh, and those who haven’t sought Yahweh nor inquired after Him. 7Be silent at the presence of the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand. For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests. 8It will happen in the day of Yahweh’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all those who are clothed with foreign clothing. 9In that day, I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit. 10In that day, says Yahweh, there will be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills. 11Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone! All those who were loaded with silver are cut off. 12It will happen at that time that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and I will punish the men who are settled on their dregs, who say in their heart, Yahweh will not do good, neither will He do evil. 13Their wealth will become a spoil, and their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses, but won’t inhabit them. They will plant vineyards, but won’t drink their wine. 
The Great Day of Yahweh Is Near 
14The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near, and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries there bitterly. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, 16a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements. 17I will bring distress upon men, so that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh’s wrath, but the whole land will be devoured by the fire of His jealousy; for He will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land.

Commentary

1:5 And also swear- Repeatedly the Bible condemns the human tendency to worship both the true God and also idols (1 Cor. 10:21). Yahweh has loved us so much that He is rightfully jealous over us, and our loyalty must be to Him alone.
1:12 With candles- Alluding to the Jewish custom of searching their homes for yeast, representing sin, at Passover time. 
In weak moments we all tend to assume that God is somehow in limbo, indifferent and not paying attention to our behaviour or situation here on earth. The temporary silence of God doesn’t mean that He is not watching intently. These people who thought that God was indifferent were themselves “settled on their dregs”, they hadn’t moved for a long time, and they thought God was like them. We must resist the temptation to think that God’s attitudes to things and people, our own selves included, are merely a reflection of ourattitudes (Ps. 50:21). The Bible reveals to us God’s judgments, positions and emotions, and we must accept this revelation rather than assuming that God is somehow created in our own image. 
1:17,18- a series of allusions to Sodom, showing that God’s sinful people were no better than the worst Gentiles. Mere association with God’s people and knowing truths about God doesn’t mean of themselves that we are any better than the worst sinners.