Zephaniah 2
English Standard Version
Judgment on Judah's Enemies
2 Gather together, yes, gather,
O (A)shameless nation,
2 (B)before the decree takes effect[a]
—before the day passes away (C)like chaff—
(D)before there comes upon you
the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 (E)Seek the Lord, (F)all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;[b]
(G)seek righteousness; seek humility;
(H)perhaps (I)you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 (J)For Gaza shall be deserted,
and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to (K)you inhabitants of the seacoast,
you nation of (L)the Cherethites!
(M)The word of the Lord is against you,
(N)O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
and I will destroy you (O)until no inhabitant is left.
6 (P)And you, O seacoast, (Q)shall be pastures,
with meadows[c] for shepherds
and folds for flocks.
7 (R)The seacoast shall become the possession
of (S)the remnant of the house of Judah,
(T)on which they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God (U)will be mindful of them
and (V)restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard (W)the taunts of Moab
and (X)the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
and made boasts (Y)against their territory.
9 Therefore, (Z)as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel,
“Moab shall become (AA)like Sodom,
and the Ammonites (AB)like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return (AC)for their pride,
because they taunted and boasted
against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them;
(AD)for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
and (AE)to him shall bow down,
each in its place,
all (AF)the lands of the nations.
12 (AG)You also, O Cushites,
shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
(AH)and destroy Assyria,
and he (AI)will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry waste like the desert.
14 (AJ)Herds shall lie down in her midst,
all kinds of beasts;[d]
(AK)even the owl and the hedgehog[e]
shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
devastation will be on the threshold;
for (AL)her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
(AM)that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
(AN)a lair for wild beasts!
(AO)Everyone who passes by her
hisses and (AP)shakes his fist.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth
- Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his judgment
- Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves
- Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation
- Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain
Zephaniah 2
Common English Bible
2 Gather together and assemble yourselves, shameless nation,
2 before the decision is made—the day vanishes like chaff[a]—
before the burning anger of the Lord comes against you,
before the day of the Lord’s anger comes against you.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land who practice his justice;
seek righteousness;
seek humility.
Maybe you will be hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger.
Oracles against foreign nations
4 Gaza will certainly be abandoned;
and Ashkelon destroyed.
Ashdod will be driven out at noon;
Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Doom, inhabitants of the seacoast,
nation of Cretans.
The Lord’s word is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines.
I will exterminate you, leaving no inhabitant.
6 The seacoast will become pastureland,
with wells for shepherds and pens for the flocks.
7 The coast will belong to the survivors from the house of Judah;
they will pasture beside the sea;[b]
in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening.
The Lord their God will visit them and restore their possessions.
8 I have heard the taunting of Moab
and the defamation of the Ammonites;
they taunted my people
and enlarged their borders.
9 Therefore, as I live—
says the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel—
Moab will become like Sodom
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah:
a plot of weeds, salt pits, and devastation forever.
The few remaining from my people will plunder them;
the rest of my nation will possess them.
10 This will happen on account of their pride,
because they taunted and boasted over the people of the Lord of heavenly forces.
11 The Lord will terrify them;
he will make all the gods of the earth disappear.
All the coastlands of the nations will bow down to the Lord,
each one in its own place.
12 Moreover, you too, Cushites, will be pierced by my sword.
13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
and will cause Assyria to perish.
Let him make Nineveh a desolation,
a desolate place like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in its midst,
every living thing of the nation.
Moreover, the owl and the porcupine will spend the night on its columns.
A bird’s call will resound from the window.
Desolation will be on the sill,
for the cedar will be stripped bare.
15 This is the jubilant city,
the one dwelling securely,
the one saying in her heart,
I, and no one else, will endure forever.
How she has become a desolation,
a resting place for the wild animals.
All those who pass through her hiss and shake their fist.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:2 Heb uncertain
- Zephaniah 2:7 Or they will pasture by them.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible