Zephaniah 2
New American Standard Bible 1995
Judgments on Judah’s Enemies
2 Gather yourselves together, yes, (A)gather,
O nation (B)without [a]shame,
2 Before the decree [b]takes effect—
The day passes (C)like the chaff—
Before the (D)burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the (E)day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
3 (F)Seek the Lord,
All you (G)humble of the [c]earth
Who have carried out His [d]ordinances;
(H)Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be (I)hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For (J)Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
(K)Ashdod will be driven out at noon
And (L)Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the [e](M)Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is (N)against you,
O (O)Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will (P)destroy you
So that there will be (Q)no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will be (R)pastures,
With [f]caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the (S)remnant of the house of Judah,
They will (T)pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lord their God will (U)care for them
And (V)restore their fortune.
8 “I have heard the [g](W)taunting of Moab
And the (X)revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have [h]taunted My people
And [i](Y)become arrogant against their territory.
9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely (Z)Moab will be like (AA)Sodom
And the sons of (AB)Ammon like (AC)Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will (AD)plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their (AE)pride, because they have [j](AF)taunted and [k]become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. 11 The Lord will be (AG)terrifying to them, for He will [l]starve (AH)all the gods of the earth; and all the (AI)coastlands of the nations will (AJ)bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.
12 “You also, O (AK)Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will (AL)stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy (AM)Assyria,
And He will make (AN)Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[m]All beasts which range in herds;
Both the [n](AO)pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in [o]the tops of her pillars;
[p]Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.
15 This is the (AP)exultant city
Which (AQ)dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“(AR)I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a (AS)desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
(AT)Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:1 Or longing
- Zephaniah 2:2 Lit is born
- Zephaniah 2:3 Or land
- Zephaniah 2:3 Or justice
- Zephaniah 2:5 I.e. a segment of the Philistines with roots in Crete
- Zephaniah 2:6 Or meadows or wells
- Zephaniah 2:8 Lit reproach
- Zephaniah 2:8 Lit reproached
- Zephaniah 2:8 Lit made themselves great
- Zephaniah 2:10 Lit reproached
- Zephaniah 2:10 Lit made themselves great
- Zephaniah 2:11 Lit make lean
- Zephaniah 2:14 Or All kinds of beasts in crowds; lit Every kind of beast of a nation
- Zephaniah 2:14 Or owl or jackdaw
- Zephaniah 2:14 Lit her capitals
- Zephaniah 2:14 Lit A voice
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
