13 He will also stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria;
he will make Nineveh a desolate ruin,(A)
dry as the desert.
14 Herds will lie down in the middle of it,
every kind of wild animal.[a]
Both eagle owls[b] and herons[c]
will roost in the capitals of its pillars.
Their calls will sound[d] from the window,
but devastation[e] will be on the threshold,
for he will expose the cedar work.[f]
15 This is the jubilant(B) city
that lives in security,
that says to herself:
I exist, and there is no one else.
What a desolation she has become,
a place for wild animals to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
scoffs[g] and shakes his fist.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:14 Lit every wild animal of a nation
  2. 2:14 Or the pelicans
  3. 2:14 Or the hedgehogs
  4. 2:14 Lit sing
  5. 2:14 LXX, Vg read ravens
  6. 2:14 Hb obscure
  7. 2:15 Or hisses

13 And He will (A)stretch out His hand against the north
And eliminate (B)Assyria,
And He will make (C)Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[a]All animals that range in herds;
Both the [b](D)pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in [c]the tops of her pillars;
[d]Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the (E)presumptuous city
That (F)dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
(G)I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a (H)desolation,
A resting place for animals!
(I)Everyone who passes by her will [e]hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:14 Or All kinds of beasts in crowds; lit Every kind of beast of a nation
  2. Zephaniah 2:14 Or owl; or jackdaw
  3. Zephaniah 2:14 Lit her capitals
  4. Zephaniah 2:14 Lit A voice
  5. Zephaniah 2:15 Or whistle