Zephaniah 2-3

American Standard Version

2 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no ^[a]shame; ² before the decree bring forth, ^[b]before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah’s anger come upon you. ³ Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger.

⁴ For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up. ⁵ Woe unto the inhabitants of ^[c]the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. ⁶ And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with ^[d]cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks. ⁷ And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them, and ^[e]bring back their captivity.

⁸ I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. ⁹ Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of ^[f]nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them. ¹⁰ This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts. ¹¹ Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the ^[g]isles of the nations.

¹² Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. ¹³ And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness. ¹⁴ And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, ^[h]all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the windows; ^[i]desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work. ¹⁵ This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

3 Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city! ² She obeyed not the voice; she received not ^[j]correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God. ³ Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they ^[k]leave nothing till the morrow. ⁴ Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. ⁵ Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; ^[l]every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. ⁶ I have cut off nations; their ^[m]battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant. ⁷ I said, Only fear thou me; receive ^[n]correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, ^[o]according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.

⁸ Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my ^[p]determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

⁹ For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure ^[q]language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one ^[r]consent. ¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia ^[s]my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. ¹¹ In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee ^[t]thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. ¹² But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah. ¹³ The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

¹⁴ Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not ^[u]fear evil any more. ¹⁶ In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; ^[v]O Zion, let not thy hands be slack. ¹⁷ Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will ^[w]rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing. ^18 [x]I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon ^[y]her was a reproach. ¹⁹ Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth. ²⁰ At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I ^[z]bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah.