A Call to Repentance

Gather(A) yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O [a]undesirable nation,
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!
(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

For (E)Gaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod (F)at noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
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.”

The seacoast shall be pastures,
With [b]shelters for shepherds (I)and folds for flocks.
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.

“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.
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.

12 “You(V) Ethiopians also,
You shall be slain by (W)My sword.”

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.

The Wickedness of Jerusalem

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the Lord,
She has not drawn near to her God.

(AF)Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are (AG)evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
Her (AH)prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have [f]polluted the sanctuary,
They have done (AI)violence to the law.
The Lord is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
[g]Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But (AJ)the unjust knows no shame.

“I have cut off nations,
Their fortresses are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
With none passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
There is no one, no inhabitant.
(AK)I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,
You will receive instruction’—
So that her dwelling would not be cut off,
Despite everything for which I punished her.
But [h]they rose early and (AL)corrupted all their deeds.

A Faithful Remnant(AM)

“Therefore (AN)wait for Me,” says the Lord,
“Until the day I rise up [i]for plunder;
My determination is to (AO)gather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth (AP)shall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.

“For then I will restore to the peoples (AQ)a pure [j]language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
10 (AR)From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who (AS)rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
12 I will leave in your midst
(AT)A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
13 (AU)The remnant of Israel (AV)shall do no unrighteousness
(AW)And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For (AX)they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”

Joy in God’s Faithfulness

14 (AY)Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
(AZ)The King of Israel, the Lord, (BA)is in your midst;
You shall [k]see disaster no more.

16 In that day (BB)it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, (BC)let not your hands be weak.
17 The Lord your God (BD)in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
(BE)He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “I will gather those who (BF)sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
19 Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the (BG)lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time (BH)I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you [l]fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:1 Or shameless
  2. Zephaniah 2:6 Underground huts or cisterns, lit. excavations
  3. Zephaniah 2:7 Lit. visit them
  4. Zephaniah 2:9 Lit. Possessed by nettles
  5. Zephaniah 2:9 Or permanent ruin
  6. Zephaniah 3:4 Or profaned
  7. Zephaniah 3:5 Lit. Morning by morning
  8. Zephaniah 3:7 They were eager
  9. Zephaniah 3:8 LXX, Syr. for witness; Tg. for the day of My revelation for judgment; Vg. for the day of My resurrection that is to come
  10. Zephaniah 3:9 Lit. lip
  11. Zephaniah 3:15 So with Heb. mss., LXX, Bg.; MT, Vg. fear
  12. Zephaniah 3:20 Lit. a name

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