Zephaniah 2
New King James Version
A Call to Repentance
2 Gather(A) yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O [a]undesirable nation,
2 Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!
3 (B)Seek the Lord, (C)all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
(D)It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.
Judgment on Nations
4 For (E)Gaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod (F)at noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of (G)the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O (H)Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you;
So there shall be no inhabitant.”
6 The seacoast shall be pastures,
With [b]shelters for shepherds (I)and folds for flocks.
7 The coast shall be for (J)the remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;
In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God will (K)intervene[c] for them,
And (L)return their captives.
8 “I(M) have heard the reproach of Moab,
And (N)the insults of the people of Ammon,
With which they have reproached My people,
And (O)made arrogant threats against their borders.
9 Therefore, as I live,”
Says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Surely (P)Moab shall be like Sodom,
And (Q)the people of Ammon like Gomorrah—
(R)Overrun[d] with weeds and saltpits,
And a [e]perpetual desolation.
The residue of My people shall plunder them,
And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”
10 This they shall have (S)for their pride,
Because they have reproached and made arrogant threats
Against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome to them,
For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
(T)People shall worship Him,
Each one from his place,
Indeed all (U)the shores of the nations.
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north,
(X)Destroy Assyria,
And make Nineveh a desolation,
As dry as the wilderness.
14 The herds shall lie down in her midst,
(Y)Every beast of the nation.
Both the (Z)pelican and the bittern
Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars;
Their voice shall sing in the windows;
Desolation shall be at the threshold;
For He will lay bare the (AA)cedar work.
15 This is the rejoicing city
(AB)That dwelt securely,
(AC)That said in her heart,
“I am it, and there is none besides me.”
How has she become a desolation,
A place for beasts to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
(AD)Shall hiss and (AE)shake his fist.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:1 Or shameless
- Zephaniah 2:6 Underground huts or cisterns, lit. excavations
- Zephaniah 2:7 Lit. visit them
- Zephaniah 2:9 Lit. Possessed by nettles
- Zephaniah 2:9 Or permanent ruin
Zephaniah 2
Amplified Bible
Judgments on Judah’s Enemies
2 Gather yourselves together [in repentance], yes, gather [in submission],
O nation without shame,
2
Before the decree takes effect [and the time for repentance is lost]—
The day passes like the chaff [whirled by the wind]—
Before the burning and fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you.
3
Seek the Lord [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life],
All you humble of the land
Who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments;
Seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital].
Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued]
In the day of the Lord’s anger.
4
For [this is the fate of the Philistines:] Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
[The people of] Ashdod will be driven out at noon [in broad daylight]
And Ekron will be uprooted and destroyed.
5
Woe (judgment is coming) to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites [in Philistia]!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
I will destroy you
So that no inhabitant will be left.
6
So the [depopulated] seacoast shall be pastures,
With [deserted] meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7
The [a]seacoast will belong
To the remnant of the house of Judah;
They will pasture [their flocks] on it.
In the [deserted] houses of Ashkelon [in Philistia] they [of Judah] will lie down and rest in the evening,
For the Lord their God will care for them;
And restore their fortune [permitting them to occupy the land].(A)
8
“I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory [by violating Israel’s boundary and trying to seize its land].
9
“Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“[b]Moab will in fact become like Sodom
And the [c]sons of Ammon like Gomorrah,
A land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And what is left of My nation will inherit them [as their own].”
10 This they shall have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. 11 The Lord will be terrifying and awesome to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down and worship Him, everyone from his own place.(B)
12
“You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”(C)
13
And the Lord will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation [a wasteland],
Parched as the desert.(D)
14
Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All the animals which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the short-eared owl
Will roost on the top of Nineveh’s pillars.
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar paneling.
15
This is the joyous city
Which dwells carelessly [feeling so secure],
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
What a desolation she has become,
A lair for [wild] animals!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss [in scorn]
And wave his hand in contempt.(E)
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:7 This is one of the more than twenty-five details of Bible prophecy about the promised land that has been literally fulfilled. See note Ezek 26:14 for information about a similar fulfillment of Bible prophecy with regard to Tyre.
- Zephaniah 2:9 The descendants of Lot and his elder daughter (Gen 19:37).
- Zephaniah 2:9 Descendants of Lot and his younger daughter (Gen 19:38).
Zephaniah 2
Tree of Life Version
Judgment of Nearby Nations
2 Gather together! Gather together,
O shameless nation—
2 before the decree is brought forth,
before the day passes away like chaff,
before Adonai’s burning anger comes upon you,
before the day of Adonai’s anger comes upon you!
3 Seek Adonai, all you humble of the land
who have executed His judgment.
Seek righteousness; seek meekness![a]
Perhaps you will be hidden
on the day of Adonai’s wrath.
4 For Gaza will be abandoned
and Ashkelon will be a wasteland.
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
and Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Oy to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
the nation of Cherethites!
The word of Adonai is against you,
Canaan, the land of the Philistines,
and I will destroy you
until there is no inhabitant.
6 The seacoast will become pastures,
with meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 The coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah,
upon which they will graze.
In the houses of Ashkelon
they will lie down in the evening.
For Adonai their God will visit them
and return them from captivity.
8 I have heard the taunts of Moab
and the jeers of the children of Ammon,
who taunted My people
and expanded on their border.
9 Therefore, as I live,
declares Adonai-Tzva’ot God of Israel,
Moab will be like Sodom
and Ammon like Gomorrah—
a possession of weeds and a salt pit,
a perpetual wasteland.
The remainder of My people will plunder them.
The remnant of My nation will dispossess them.
10 This is what they will get for their pride,
for they have taunted and expanded
against the people of Adonai-Tzva’ot.
11 Adonai will be fearsome against them.
For all the gods of the earth
He will make waste away.
To Him will bow, each from its place,
the islands of the nations.
12 You Ethiopians too
will be slain by My sword.
13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
and devastate Assyria
and make Nineveh as a wasteland—
dry as a desert.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
all kinds of beasts—
both the little owl and the great owl
will lodge in her pillars.
A voice will hoot in the window.
Ruin will be in the doorway,
for the cedar beams will be exposed.
15 This is the exultant city,
dwelling securely,
saying in her heart,
‘It’s me—no one else but me!’
How did she become a ruin,
an abode for wild beasts?
Everyone who passes by her
hisses and shakes his fist.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:3 cf. Matt. 6:3.
Zephaniah 2
New Living Translation
A Call to Repentance
2 Gather together—yes, gather together,
you shameless nation.
2 Gather before judgment begins,
before your time to repent is blown away like chaff.
Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls
and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.
3 Seek the Lord, all who are humble,
and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right
and to live humbly.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you—
protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.
Judgment against Philistia
4 Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned,
Ashdod and Ekron torn down.
5 And what sorrow awaits you Philistines[a]
who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan,
for this judgment is against you, too!
The Lord will destroy you
until not one of you is left.
6 The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture,
a place of shepherd camps
and enclosures for sheep and goats.
7 The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there.
They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon.
For the Lord their God will visit his people in kindness
and restore their prosperity again.
Judgment against Moab and Ammon
8 “I have heard the taunts of the Moabites
and the insults of the Ammonites,
mocking my people
and invading their borders.
9 Now, as surely as I live,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
“Moab and Ammon will be destroyed—
destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Their land will become a place of stinging nettles,
salt pits, and eternal desolation.
The remnant of my people will plunder them
and take their land.”
10 They will receive the wages of their pride,
for they have scoffed at the people of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
11 The Lord will terrify them
as he destroys all the gods in the land.
Then nations around the world will worship the Lord,
each in their own land.
Judgment against Ethiopia and Assyria
12 “You Ethiopians[b] will also be slaughtered
by my sword,” says the Lord.
13 And the Lord will strike the lands of the north with his fist,
destroying the land of Assyria.
He will make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland,
parched like a desert.
14 The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds,
and all sorts of wild animals will settle there.
The desert owl and screech owl will roost on its ruined columns,
their calls echoing through the gaping windows.
Rubble will block all the doorways,
and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather.
15 This is the boisterous city,
once so secure.
“I am the greatest!” it boasted.
“No other city can compare with me!”
But now, look how it has become an utter ruin,
a haven for wild animals.
Everyone passing by will laugh in derision
and shake a defiant fist.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
