Zephaniah 2
Expanded Bible
The Lord Asks People to Change
2 Gather together, gather,
you ·unwanted [shameful; undesirable] people.
2 Do it before ·it’s too late [L the decree takes effect],
before ·you are blown away like chaff [or the day passes like chaff],
before the Lord’s ·terrible [fierce; burning] anger reaches you,
before the day of the Lord’s anger comes to you.
3 ·Come to [Seek] the Lord, all you who are ·not proud [humble; meek],
who obey his ·laws [commands].
·Do what is right [Seek righteousness]. ·Learn [Seek] to be humble.
Maybe you will ·escape [be protected; L be hidden]
on the day the Lord shows his anger.
Philistia Will Be Punished
4 ·No one will be left in the city of Gaza [L Gaza will be abandoned; C Gaza sounds like Hebrew for “abandoned”; all four of these were cities in Philistia],
and the city of Ashkelon will be ·destroyed [desolated; a heap of ruins].
Ashdod will be empty by noon,
and the people of Ekron will be ·chased away [L uprooted; C Ekron sounds like Hebrew for “uprooted”].
5 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] you who live by the ·Mediterranean Sea [L sea],
you ·Philistines [L nation of Cerethites; C either another name for the Philistines or a neighboring people group; the name suggests they came from the island of Crete; 2 Sam. 8:18; Ezek. 25:16]!
The word of the Lord is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines.
“I will destroy you
so that no ·one [inhabitant] will be left.”
6 The land by the ·Mediterranean Sea, in which you live [L sea],
will become pastures, ·fields [or shelters; or having wells] for shepherds, and pens for ·sheep [flocks].
7 It will ·belong to [L be for] the ·descendants of Judah who are left alive [L remnant of the house of Judah].
There they will ·let their sheep eat grass [graze; find pasture].
At night they will ·sleep [lay down]
in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will ·pay attention to [care for] them
and will ·make their life good again [restore their fortunes; or return their exiles].
Moab and Ammon Will Be Punished
8 “I have heard the ·insults [taunts] of Moab[C the country]
and the ·threats [insults; reproach] of the ·people [L sons/descendants] of Ammon.
They have ·insulted [taunted] my people
and ·have taken [or harrassed; threatened; or boasted about] their ·land [borders].”
9 So the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says,
“As surely as I live,
Moab will ·be destroyed [L become] like Sodom,
and ·Ammon [L the sons/descendant of Ammon] will ·be destroyed [become] like Gomorrah [C two cities destroyed for their great wickedness; Gen. 19]—
a heap of weeds, a pit of salt,
and a ·ruin [wasteland] forever.
·Those of my people who are left alive [The remnant of my people] will ·take whatever they want from [plunder] them;
·those who are left from my nation [the survivors] will ·take their land [L inherit/possess them].”
10 This is what Moab and Ammon get for being proud,
because they ·insulted [taunted] and ·made fun of [boasted against] the people of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
11 The Lord will ·frighten [terrify; be awesome against] them,
because he will ·destroy [or weaken; or starve] all the gods of the earth.
Then everyone in ·faraway places [or the coastlands of the nations]
will ·worship [bow down to] him wherever they are.
Cush and Assyria Will Be Destroyed
12 “You ·Cushites [Ethiopians] also
will be ·killed [slain] by my sword.”
13 Then the Lord will ·turn [L stretch out his hand] against the north
and destroy Assyria.
He will make Nineveh
a ·ruin [desolation] as dry as a desert.
14 Flocks and herds will lie down there,
and all ·wild animals [kinds of beasts].
The ·owls [horned owls; or pelicans] and ·crows [or screech owls; or hedgehogs] will sit
on ·the stone pillars [her columns/capitals].
The owl will hoot through the windows,
·trash [rubble; devastation] will be in the ·doorways [thresholds],
and the ·wooden boards [cedar work] of the buildings will be ·gone [or exposed].
15 This is the ·happy [boisterous; exultant] and ·safe [secure] city
that ·thinks [L said in her heart] ·there is no one else as strong as it is [L “I am it, and there is no one besides me”].
But what a ruin it will be,
a place where wild animals live.
All those who pass by will ·make fun [scoff; L hiss]
and shake their fists.
Zephaniah 2
New American Standard Bible
Judgments on Judah’s Enemies
2 Gather yourselves together, yes, (A)join together,
You nation (B)without [a]shame,
2 Before the decree [b]takes effect—
The day passes (C)like 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 practiced His [d]ordinances;
(H)Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will (I)remain hidden
On the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For (J)Gaza will be abandoned,
And Ashkelon will become a desolation;
The inhabitants of (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)Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will (P)eliminate you
So that there will be (Q)no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will become (R)grazing places,
With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the (S)remnant of the house of Judah,
They will (T)drive sheep to 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 fortunes.
8 “I have heard the (W)taunting of Moab
And the (X)abusive speech of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And (Y)boasted against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel,
“(Z)Moab will assuredly be like (AA)Sodom,
And the sons of (AB)Ammon like (AC)Gomorrah—
Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,
And a permanent 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)arrogance, because they have (AF)taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of armies. 11 The Lord will be (AG)terrifying to them, for He will [f]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, (AK)Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will (AL)stretch out His hand against the north
And eliminate (AM)Assyria,
And He will make (AN)Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[g]All animals that range in herds;
Both the [h](AO)pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in [i]the tops of her pillars;
[j]Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the (AP)presumptuous city
That (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 animals!
(AT)Everyone who passes by her will [k]hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:1 Or longing
- Zephaniah 2:2 Lit gives birth
- 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 2:11 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
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
