Zephaniah 2:13-15
Easy-to-Read Version
13 Then the Lord will turn north and punish Assyria. He will destroy Nineveh—that city will be like an empty, dry desert. 14 Only sheep and wild animals will live in those ruins. Owls and crows will sit on the columns that are left standing. Their calls will be heard coming through the windows. Crows will sit on the doorsteps. Black birds[a] will make their homes in those empty houses. 15 Nineveh is so proud now. It is such a happy city. The people think they are safe. They think Nineveh is the greatest place in the world, but it will be destroyed! It will be an empty place where only wild animals go to rest. People who pass by will whistle and shake their heads when they see how badly the city was destroyed.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Zephaniah 2:14 Black birds Or “cedar beams.”
Zephaniah 2:13-15
New International Version
Assyria
13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,(A)
leaving Nineveh(B) utterly desolate
and dry as the desert.(C)
14 Flocks and herds(D) will lie down there,
creatures of every kind.
The desert owl(E) and the screech owl(F)
will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
rubble will fill the doorways,
the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the city of revelry(G)
that lived in safety.(H)
She said to herself,
“I am the one! And there is none besides me.”(I)
What a ruin she has become,
a lair for wild beasts!(J)
All who pass by her scoff(K)
and shake their fists.(L)
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