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Judgment of Nearby Nations

Gather together! Gather together,
O shameless nation—
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!
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.
For Gaza will be abandoned
and Ashkelon will be a wasteland.
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
and Ekron will be uprooted.
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.
The seacoast will become pastures,
with meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks.
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.
I have heard the taunts of Moab
and the jeers of the children of Ammon,
    who taunted My people
and expanded on their border.
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

  1. Zephaniah 2:3 cf. Matt. 6:3.

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations

Judah Summoned to Repent

Gather together,(A) gather yourselves together,
    you shameful(B) nation,
before the decree takes effect
    and that day passes like windblown chaff,(C)
before the Lord’s fierce anger(D)
    comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath(E)
    comes upon you.
Seek(F) the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness,(G) seek humility;(H)
    perhaps you will be sheltered(I)
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Philistia

Gaza(J) will be abandoned
    and Ashkelon(K) left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
    and Ekron uprooted.
Woe to you who live by the sea,
    you Kerethite(L) people;
the word of the Lord is against you,(M)
    Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, “I will destroy you,
    and none will be left.”(N)
The land by the sea will become pastures
    having wells for shepherds
    and pens for flocks.(O)
That land will belong
    to the remnant(P) of the people of Judah;
    there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
    in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
    he will restore their fortunes.[a](Q)

Moab and Ammon

“I have heard the insults(R) of Moab(S)
    and the taunts of the Ammonites,(T)
who insulted(U) my people
    and made threats against their land.(V)
Therefore, as surely as I live,”
    declares the Lord Almighty,
    the God of Israel,
“surely Moab(W) will become like Sodom,(X)
    the Ammonites(Y) like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
    a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder(Z) them;
    the survivors(AA) of my nation will inherit their land.(AB)

10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,(AC)
    for insulting(AD) and mocking
    the people of the Lord Almighty.(AE)
11 The Lord will be awesome(AF) to them
    when he destroys all the gods(AG) of the earth.(AH)
Distant nations will bow down to him,(AI)
    all of them in their own lands.

Cush

12 “You Cushites,[b](AJ) too,
    will be slain by my sword.(AK)

Assyria

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,(AL)
leaving Nineveh(AM) utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert.(AN)
14 Flocks and herds(AO) will lie down there,
    creatures of every kind.
The desert owl(AP) and the screech owl(AQ)
    will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
    rubble will fill the doorways,
    the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the city of revelry(AR)
    that lived in safety.(AS)
She said to herself,
    “I am the one! And there is none besides me.”(AT)
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!(AU)
All who pass by her scoff(AV)
    and shake their fists.(AW)

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
  2. Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region