13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
    (A)and destroy Assyria,
and he (B)will make Nineveh a desolation,
    a dry waste like the desert.
14 (C)Herds shall lie down in her midst,
    all kinds of beasts;[a]
(D)even the owl and the hedgehog[b]
    shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
    devastation will be on the threshold;
    for (E)her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
    (F)that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
    “I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
    (G)a lair for wild beasts!
(H)Everyone who passes by her
    hisses and (I)shakes his fist.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation
  2. Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain

Assyria

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,(A)
leaving Nineveh(B) utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert.(C)
14 Flocks and herds(D) will lie down there,
    creatures of every kind.
The desert owl(E) and the screech owl(F)
    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(G)
    that lived in safety.(H)
She said to herself,
    “I am the one! And there is none besides me.”(I)
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!(J)
All who pass by her scoff(K)
    and shake their fists.(L)

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