א דְּבַר־ה' אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל־צְפַנְיָה בֶּן־כּוּשִׁי בֶן־גְּדַלְיָה בֶּן־אֲמַרְיָה בֶּן־חִזְקִיָּה בִּימֵי יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹן מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה

The word of the Lord that was with Zephaniah, son of Kushi, son of Gedalya, son of Amarya, son of Hizkiya. This is an unusually extensive lineage, which is recorded either due to the greatness of all those named, or to trace the prophet’s line back to Hizkiya. It is evident from these names that Zephaniah was from a distinguished family of Judean leaders. According to the Talmud, Zephaniah is one of the “eight princes among men” mentioned in the book of Micah (5:4). Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, king of Judah. The period of Zephaniah’s prophecy would indicate the places where he was likely active, as by Yoshiya’s time the Kingdom of Israel had already been conquered by the Assyrians and most of its inhabitants exiled. While it is possible that Yoshiya sought to reestablish some sort of political entity within the borders of the former Kingdom of Israel, nevertheless, Zephaniah primarily addresses the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

ב אָסֹף אָסֵף כֹּל מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה נְאֻם־ה'

I will destroy everything from upon the face of the earth – the utterance of the Lord.