The Skeptics Annotated Bible (708 page)

11
The sun and moon stood still in their habitation
: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

(3.11) “The sun and moon stood still in their habitation.” This verse apparently refers to Joshua 10.12-13, where God made the sun stand still.

(3.12-14) Habakkuk praises God for slaughtering “the heathen.”

12
Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.

(3.12)
“Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.”

13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed;
thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck.
Selah.

(3.13)
“Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck.”

14
Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages
: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.

(3.14)
“Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages.”

15
Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses
, through the heap of great waters.

(3.15)
“Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses.”

16
When I heard, my belly trembled
; my lips quivered at the voice:
rottenness entered into my bones
, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.

(3.16)
“When I heard, my belly trembled … rottenness entered into my bones.”

17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men … their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
—
Zephaniah 1.17

God has great plans for us all. Here are some of the details:

• He plans to kill every living thing.
  1.2-3
  
• He will “cut off” all those who “have not sought the Lord” or who worship another god. 1.4-6
  
• “The day of the LORD is at hand.”
  1.7
  ,
  14
  
• He “will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.”
  1.8
  
• He doesn’t have night-vision, so he needs candles when he comes to punish the people that say, “The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.”
  1.12
  
• He will “bring distress upon men” so that they “walk like blind men.” He will pour out their blood like dust and “their flesh as dung.”
  1.17
  
• Hide from God and hope he doesn’t find you.
  2.1-3
  
• He will kill all the inhabitants of the sea coast.
  2.5
  
• He will destroy Moab and Ammon just like he did to Sodom and Gomorrah.
  2.9
  
• He will kill the Ethiopians with his own sword.
  2.12
  
• “Every one that passeth by her [Assyria] shall hiss, and wag his hand.”
  2.15
  
• God brags about destroying cities and killing all of the inhabitants.
  3.6
  
• “All of the earth shall be devoured with the fire” of God’s jealousy.
  3.8
  
• The Singing God: “God will joy over thee with singing.”
  3.17
  

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.

(1.2-3) God plans to kill every living thing.

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

(1.2)
“I will utterly consume all things from off the land.”

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.

(1.3)
“I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea.”

(1.4-6) God will “cut off” all those who “have not sought the Lord” or who worship another god.