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13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north,
    and he will destroy Assyria
and will make Nineveh a desolation,
    a dry wasteland like the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst,
    every wild animal of a nation;
even the desert owl and the screech owl
    shall lodge on her capitals.
A voice shall hoot in the window;
    rubble[a] on the threshold;
for the cedar is laid bare.
15 This is the city of rejoicing
    that lived securely;
the one saying in her heart,
    I am, and there is none besides me.”[b]
How she has become a desolation,
    a lair for wild animals!
Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:14 The traditional Hebrew text has “waste,” while LXX has “a raven,” reflecting a different word with one consonant changed
  2. Zephaniah 2:15 Literally “I am and none me”

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north, destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as the wilderness. 14 Herds will lie down in the middle of her, all the animals of the nations. Both the pelican and the porcupine will lodge in its capitals. Their calls will echo through the windows. Desolation will be in the thresholds, for he has laid bare the cedar beams. 15 This is the joyous city that lived carelessly, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” How she has become a desolation, a place for animals to lie down in! Everyone who passes by her will hiss, and shake their fists.

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