Zephaniah 2
2
Judgment of Judah’s Enemies
1Gather yourselves together! Now gather together,
O nation having no shame!
2Before the birth of the decree,
the day flies away like chaff;
before the fierce anger of Yahweh overtakes you;
before the day of the anger of Yahweh overtakes you.
3Seek Yahweh, all you afflicted of the land
who have fulfilled his law;
seek righteousness;
seek humility.
Perhaps you will be concealed
on the day of the anger of Yahweh.
4For Gaza will be abandoned,
and Ashkelon as a desolation.
As for Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5Woe to you, inhabitants of the region of the sea,
people of the Kerethites!
The word of Yahweh is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines.
I will destroy you until there is no inhabitant.#Literally “from there is not an inhabitant”
6And you, O region of the sea, shall become
pastures and meadows for shepherds
and sheep pens for the flocks.
7And it shall become a region
for the remnant of the house of Judah;
upon them they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down in the evening.
For Yahweh their God shall be mindful of them,
and he will restore their fortunes.
8I have heard the reproaches of Moab
and the scorning of the Ammonites,#Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
with which they have taunted my nation
and made boasts against their territory.
9“Therefore, as I live”—a declaration of Yahweh of hosts,
the God of Israel—
“Moab shall be as Sodom,
and the Ammonites#Literally “sons/children of Ammon” like Gomorrah,
a place of weeds and salt pits
and a desolation forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the remainder of my nation shall possess them.”
10This shall be for them in place of their pride
because they mocked and boasted
against the people of Yahweh of hosts.
11Yahweh will be awesome against them,
for he will destroy all the gods of the earth
and all the lands#Or “islands” of the nations;
each in its place will bow down to him.
12You also, O Cushites,
they shall be killed by my sword.
13And he will stretch out his hand against the north,
and he will destroy Assyria
and will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry wasteland like the desert.
14Herds shall lie down in her midst,
every wild animal of a nation;
even the desert owl and the screech owl
shall lodge on her capitals.
A voice shall hoot in the window;
rubble#The traditional Hebrew text has “waste,” while LXX has “a raven,” reflecting a different word with one consonant changed on the threshold;
for the cedar is laid bare.
15This is the city of rejoicing
that lived securely;
the one saying in her heart,
“I am, and there is none besides me.”#Literally “I am and none me”
How she has become a desolation,
a lair for wild animals!
Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.
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Zephaniah 2: LEB
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Zephaniah 2
2
A Call to Repentance
1Gather together—yes, gather together,
you shameless nation.
2Gather before judgment begins,
before your time to repent is blown away like chaff.
Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls
and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.
3Seek the Lord, all who are humble,
and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right
and to live humbly.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you—
protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.
Judgment against Philistia
4Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned,
Ashdod and Ekron torn down.
5And what sorrow awaits you Philistines#2:5 Hebrew Kerethites.
who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan,
for this judgment is against you, too!
The Lord will destroy you
until not one of you is left.
6The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture,
a place of shepherd camps
and enclosures for sheep and goats.
7The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there.
They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon.
For the Lord their God will visit his people in kindness
and restore their prosperity again.
Judgment against Moab and Ammon
8“I have heard the taunts of the Moabites
and the insults of the Ammonites,
mocking my people
and invading their borders.
9Now, as surely as I live,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
“Moab and Ammon will be destroyed—
destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Their land will become a place of stinging nettles,
salt pits, and eternal desolation.
The remnant of my people will plunder them
and take their land.”
10They will receive the wages of their pride,
for they have scoffed at the people of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
11The Lord will terrify them
as he destroys all the gods in the land.
Then nations around the world will worship the Lord,
each in their own land.
Judgment against Ethiopia and Assyria
12“You Ethiopians#2:12 Hebrew Cushites. will also be slaughtered
by my sword,” says the Lord.
13And the Lord will strike the lands of the north with his fist,
destroying the land of Assyria.
He will make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland,
parched like a desert.
14The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds,
and all sorts of wild animals will settle there.
The desert owl and screech owl will roost on its ruined columns,
their calls echoing through the gaping windows.
Rubble will block all the doorways,
and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather.
15This is the boisterous city,
once so secure.
“I am the greatest!” it boasted.
“No other city can compare with me!”
But now, look how it has become an utter ruin,
a haven for wild animals.
Everyone passing by will laugh in derision
and shake a defiant fist.
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