Zephaniah 2:8-3:20
New American Standard Bible
8 “I have heard the (A)taunting of Moab
And the (B)abusive speech of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And (C)boasted against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel,
“(D)Moab will assuredly be like (E)Sodom,
And the sons of (F)Ammon like (G)Gomorrah—
Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,
And a permanent desolation.
The remnant of My people will (H)plunder them,
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their (I)arrogance, because they have (J)taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of armies. 11 The Lord will be (K)terrifying to them, for He will [a]starve (L)all the gods of the earth; and all the (M)coastlands of the nations will (N)bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.
12 “You also, (O)Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will (P)stretch out His hand against the north
And eliminate (Q)Assyria,
And He will make (R)Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[b]All animals that range in herds;
Both the [c](S)pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in [d]the tops of her pillars;
[e]Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the (T)presumptuous city
That (U)dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“(V)I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a (W)desolation,
A resting place for animals!
(X)Everyone who passes by her will [f]hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.
Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations
3 Woe to her who is (Y)rebellious and (Z)defiled,
The (AA)oppressive city!
2 She (AB)obeyed no voice,
She (AC)accepted no discipline.
She did not (AD)trust in the Lord,
She did not (AE)approach her God.
3 Her (AF)leaders within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are (AG)wolves at evening;
They have no bones to gnaw in the morning.
4 Her prophets are (AH)insolent, treacherous men;
Her (AI)priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the Law.
5 The Lord is (AJ)righteous (AK)within her;
He will (AL)do no injustice.
(AM)Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He [g]does not fail.
But the [h]criminal (AN)knows no shame.
6 “I have eliminated nations;
Their corner towers are deserted.
I have (AO)laid waste their streets,
With no one passing by;
Their (AP)cities have been laid waste,
Without a person, (AQ)without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘You will certainly revere Me,
You will (AR)accept discipline.’
So her dwelling will (AS)not be eliminated
In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her.
Instead, they were eager to (AT)corrupt all their deeds.
8 “Therefore (AU)wait for Me,” declares the Lord,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to (AV)gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For (AW)all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9 For then I will [i]restore to the peoples (AX)pure lips,
So that all of them may (AY)call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him [j]shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of (AZ)Ethiopia
My worshipers, [k]My dispersed ones,
Will (BA)bring My offerings.
11 On that day you will (BB)feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your (BC)proud, arrogant ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My (BD)holy mountain.
A Remnant of Israel
12 But I will leave among you
A (BE)humble and lowly people,
And they will (BF)take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The (BG)remnant of Israel will (BH)do no wrong
And (BI)tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will (BJ)feed and lie down
With no one to frighten them.”
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!
(BK)Shout in triumph, Israel!
Rejoice and triumph with all your heart,
Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away (BL)His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is (BM)in your midst;
You will no longer (BN)fear disaster.
16 (BO)On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“(BP)Do not be afraid, Zion;
(BQ)Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 The Lord your God is (BR)in your midst,
A [l](BS)victorious warrior.
He will (BT)rejoice over you with joy,
He will [m]be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 I will gather those who are (BU)worried about the appointed feasts—
They [n]came from you, Zion;
The disgrace of exile is a burden on [o]them.
19 Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your (BV)oppressors;
I will save (BW)those who limp
And gather the scattered,
And I will turn their (BX)shame into (BY)praise and fame
In all the earth.
20 At that time I will (BZ)bring you in,
Even at the time when I gather you together;
Indeed, I will make you (CA)famous and praiseworthy
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I (CB)restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:11 Lit allow to dwindle
- 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
- Zephaniah 2:15 Or whistle
- Zephaniah 3:5 Lit is not missing
- Zephaniah 3:5 Or sinner
- Zephaniah 3:9 Lit change
- Zephaniah 3:9 Lit with one shoulder
- Zephaniah 3:10 Lit the daughter of My dispersed ones
- Zephaniah 3:17 Lit A warrior who saves
- Zephaniah 3:17 Or with some ancient versions, renew you in
- Zephaniah 3:18 Lit were
- Zephaniah 3:18 Lit her
2 Chronicles 35:20-27
New American Standard Bible
Josiah Dies in Battle
20 (A)After all this, when Josiah had set the [a]temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at (B)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. 21 But [b]Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “[c](C)What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah would not turn [d]away from him, but (D)disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco (E)from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of (F)Megiddo. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem [e]where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. (G)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Then (H)Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 35:20 Lit house
- 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit he
- 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
- 2 Chronicles 35:22 Lit his face
- 2 Chronicles 35:24 Lit and
2 Kings 23:29-30
New American Standard Bible
29 (A)In his days (B)Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria at the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at (C)Megiddo. 30 (D)His servants carried [a]his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. (E)Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Kings 23:30 Lit him, dead
Jeremiah 47-48
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy against Philistia
47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the (A)Philistines, before Pharaoh [a]conquered (B)Gaza. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, waters are going to rise from (C)the north
And become an overflowing torrent,
And (D)overflow the land and everything that is in it,
The city and those who live in it;
And the people will (E)cry out,
And every inhabitant of the land will wail.
3 Because of the noise of the [b](F)galloping hoofs of his [c]stallions,
The roar of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels,
The fathers have not turned back for their children,
Because of the debility of their hands,
4 Because of the day that is coming
To (G)destroy all the Philistines,
To eliminate from (H)Tyre and Sidon
Every surviving ally;
For the Lord is going to destroy the Philistines,
The remnant of the coastland of (I)Caphtor.
5 (J)Baldness has come upon Gaza;
(K)Ashkelon has been destroyed.
Remnant of their valley,
How long will you (L)gash yourself?
6 Ah, (M)sword of the Lord,
How long will you not be quiet?
Withdraw into your sheath;
Rest and stay still.
7 How can [d]it be quiet,
When the Lord has (N)given it an order?
Against Ashkelon and against the sea shore—
There He has (O)summoned it.”
Prophecy against Moab
48 Concerning (P)Moab. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“Woe to (Q)Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
(R)Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The high stronghold has been put to shame and [e]shattered.
2 There is no longer praise for Moab;
In (S)Heshbon they have devised disaster against her:
‘Come and let’s cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, [f]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow you.
3 The sound of an outcry from (T)Horonaim,
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.
5 For they will go up by the ascent of (U)Luhith
With continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the [g]anguished cry of destruction.
6 (V)Flee, save yourselves,
So that you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because of your (W)trust in your own achievements and treasures,
You yourself will also be captured;
And (X)Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
8 A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the (Y)plateau will be destroyed,
As the Lord has said.
9 Give [h](Z)wings to Moab,
For she will [i]flee away;
And her cities will become a (AA)desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.
10 (AB)Cursed is the one who does the Lord’s work (AC)negligently,
And cursed is the one who restrains his (AD)sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been (AE)at ease since his youth;
He has also been (AF)peaceful, like wine on [j]its dregs,
And he has not been (AG)poured from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore [k]he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.
12 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will pour out his vessels and smash [l]his jars. 13 And Moab will be (AH)ashamed of (AI)Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of (AJ)Bethel, their confidence.
14 How can you say, ‘We are (AK)warriors,
And men competent for battle’?
15 Moab has been destroyed and [m]men have gone up to [n]his cities;
His choicest [o](AL)young men have also gone down to the slaughter,”
Declares the (AM)King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
16 “The disaster of Moab will (AN)soon come,
And his catastrophe has hurried quickly.
17 Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
And all of you who know his name;
Say, ‘How the mighty [p](AO)scepter has been broken,
A staff of splendor!’
18 (AP)Come down from your glory
And sit on the parched ground,
O (AQ)daughter living in (AR)Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
He has ruined your strongholds.
19 Stand by the road and keep watch,
You inhabitant of (AS)Aroer;
(AT)Ask him who flees and her who escapes
And say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab has been put to shame, for it has been [q]shattered.
Wail and cry out;
Declare by the (AU)Arnon
That Moab has been destroyed.
21 “Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, (AV)Jahzah, and against (AW)Mephaath, 22 against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and (AX)Beth-meon, 24 against (AY)Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The (AZ)horn of Moab has been cut off, and his (BA)arm broken,” declares the Lord. 26 “(BB)Make him drunk, for he has [r]become (BC)arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will [s]vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27 Now was Israel not a (BD)laughingstock to you? Or was he [t](BE)caught among thieves? For whenever you speak about him you (BF)shake your head in scorn.
28 Leave the cities and live among the (BG)rocky cliffs,
You inhabitants of Moab,
And be like a (BH)dove that nests
Beyond the mouth of the chasm.
29 (BI)We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
Of his haughtiness, his (BJ)pride, his arrogance, and [u]his self-exaltation.
30 I know his (BK)fury,” declares the Lord,
“But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
31 Therefore I will (BL)wail for Moab,
For all of Moab I will cry out;
[v]I will moan for the men of (BM)Kir-heres.
32 More than the (BN)weeping for (BO)Jazer
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
They reached to the sea of Jazer;
Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
The destroyer has fallen.
33 So (BP)joy and rejoicing are removed
From the fruitful field, and from the land of Moab.
And I have (BQ)eliminated the wine from the wine presses;
No one will tread them with shouting,
The shouting will not be shouts of joy.
34 (BR)From the outcry at Heshbon to (BS)Elealeh, to Jahaz they have [w]raised their voice, from (BT)Zoar to Horonaim, and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35 And I will put an end to Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the (BU)high place and the one who [x](BV)burns incense to his gods.
36 “Therefore My (BW)heart makes a sound like flutes for Moab; My heart also makes a sound like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have (BX)lost the abundance it produced. 37 For (BY)every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and (BZ)sackcloth around the waists. 38 On all the (CA)housetops of Moab and in its public squares [y]there is mourning everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable (CB)vessel,” declares the Lord. 39 “How [z]shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an (CC)object of terror to all around him.”
40 For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, one will (CD)fly swiftly like an eagle
And (CE)spread out his wings against Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the (CF)hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day
Will be like the heart of a (CG)woman in labor.
42 Moab will be (CH)destroyed from being a people
Because he has [aa]become (CI)arrogant toward the Lord.
43 (CJ)Terror, pit, and snare are coming upon you,
Inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44 “The one who (CK)flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I will bring upon her, upon Moab,
The year of their (CL)punishment,” declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives stand without strength;
For a fire has spread out from Heshbon
And a (CM)flame from the midst of (CN)Sihon,
And it has devoured the (CO)forehead of Moab
And the scalps of the [ab]loud revelers.
46 (CP)Woe to you, Moab!
The people of (CQ)Chemosh have perished;
For your sons have been taken away captive,
And your daughters into captivity.
47 Yet I will (CR)restore the fortunes of Moab
In the [ac]latter days,” declares the Lord.
This is the extent of the judgment on Moab.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 47:1 Lit struck
- Jeremiah 47:3 Lit stamping of the
- Jeremiah 47:3 Lit mighty ones
- Jeremiah 47:7 Lit you
- Jeremiah 48:1 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 48:2 Heb Madmen; i.e., a city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:5 Lit distresses of outcry
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or salt
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or fall in ruins
- Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his flavor has stayed in him
- Jeremiah 48:12 Lit their
- Jeremiah 48:15 Lit one has
- Jeremiah 48:15 Lit her
- Jeremiah 48:15 I.e., warriors
- Jeremiah 48:17 Or rod
- Jeremiah 48:20 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 48:26 Or magnified himself against
- Jeremiah 48:26 Lit vomit in his vomit
- Jeremiah 48:27 Or found
- Jeremiah 48:29 Lit elevation of his heart
- Jeremiah 48:31 Another reading is He
- Jeremiah 48:34 Lit given forth
- Jeremiah 48:35 Or offers up in smoke
- Jeremiah 48:38 Lit all of it is mourning
- Jeremiah 48:39 Or terrified
- Jeremiah 48:42 Or magnified himself against
- Jeremiah 48:45 Lit sons of uproar
- Jeremiah 48:47 Lit end of the days
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