Passage
She hearkened not to the voice; she received not correction; she confided not in Jehovah; she drew not near her God.
Zephaniah 3:2 (DBY)
Nearby Context
Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is rebellious and corrupted, to the oppressing city!
Zephaniah 3:2 She hearkened not to the voice; she received not correction; she confided not in Jehovah; she drew not near her God.
Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, that leave nothing for the morning.
Zephaniah 3:4 Her prophets are vain-glorious, treacherous persons; her priests profane the sanctuary, they do violence to the law.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "hearkened", "voice", "received", "correction", "confided", "jehovah", "drew", and "near". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hearkened" and "voice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Woe to her that is rebellious and..." into verse 3's "Her princes in the midst of her...", so "hearkened" and "voice" belong inside that flow. In Zephaniah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hearkened" and "voice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.