Zephaniah 2-3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
2 Gather together, gather,
O shameless nation,(A)
2 before you are driven away[a]
like the drifting chaff,[b]
before there comes upon you
the fierce anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the Lord’s wrath.(B)
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land
who do his commands;
seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.(C)
4 For Gaza shall be deserted,
and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.(D)
5 Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast,
you nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines,
and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.(E)
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures,
meadows for shepherds,
and folds for flocks.(F)
7 The seacoast shall become the possession
of the remnant of the house of Judah,
on which they shall pasture,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God will be mindful of them
and restore their fortunes.(G)
8 I have heard the taunts of Moab
and the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
and made boasts against their territory.(H)
9 Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel,
Moab shall become like Sodom
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits
and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.(I)
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride,
because they scoffed and boasted
against the people of the Lord of hosts.(J)
11 The Lord will be terrible against them;
he will shrivel all the gods of the earth,
and to him shall bow down
each in its place,
all the coasts and islands of the nations.(K)
12 You also, O Cushites,
shall be killed by my sword.(L)
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,
and he will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry waste like the desert.(M)
14 Herds shall lie down in it,
every wild animal of the earth;[c]
the desert owl[d] and the screech owl[e]
shall lodge on its capitals;
the owl[f] shall hoot at the window,
the raven[g] croak on the threshold,
for its cedar work will be laid bare.(N)
15 Is this the exultant city
that lived secure,
that said to itself,
“I am, and there is no one else”?
What a desolation it has become,
a lair for wild animals!
Everyone who passes by it
hisses and shakes the fist.(O)
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
3 Woe, soiled, defiled,
oppressing city!(P)
2 It has listened to no voice;
it has accepted no correction.
It has not trusted in the Lord;
it has not drawn near to its God.(Q)
3 The officials within it
are roaring lions;
its judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing until the morning.(R)
4 Its prophets are reckless,
faithless persons;
its priests have profaned what is sacred;
they have done violence to the law.(S)
5 The Lord within it is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Every morning he renders his judgment,
each dawn without fail,
but the unjust knows no shame.(T)
6 I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without people, without inhabitants.(U)
7 I said, “Surely the city[h] will fear me;
it will accept correction;
it will not lose sight[i]
of all that I have brought upon it.”
But they were the more eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.(V)
Punishment and Conversion of the Nations
8 Therefore wait for me, says the Lord,
for the day when I arise as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all the heat of my anger,
for in the fire of my passion
all the earth shall be consumed.(W)
9 At that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.(X)
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
my suppliants, my scattered ones,
shall bring my offering.(Y)
11 On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.(Z)
12 For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord—(AA)
13 the remnant of Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
Then they will pasture and lie down,
and no one shall make them afraid.(AB)
A Song of Joy
14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!(AC)
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.(AD)
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.(AE)
17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will renew you[j] in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing(AF)
18 as on a day of festival.”[k]
I will remove disaster from you,[l]
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19 I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.(AG)
20 At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.(AH)
Footnotes
- 2.2 Cn: Heb before a decree is born
- 2.2 Cn: Heb like chaff a day has passed away
- 2.14 Gk: Heb nation
- 2.14 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 2.14 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 2.14 Cn: Heb a voice
- 2.14 Gk Vg: Heb desolation
- 3.7 Heb it
- 3.7 Gk Syr: Heb its dwelling will not be cut off
- 3.17 Gk Syr: Heb he will be silent
- 3.18 Gk Syr: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 3.18 Cn: Heb I will remove from you; they were
Zephaniah 2-3
New International Version
Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations
Judah Summoned to Repent
2 Gather together,(A) gather yourselves together,
you shameful(B) nation,
2 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.
3 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
4 Gaza(J) will be abandoned
and Ashkelon(K) left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
and Ekron uprooted.
5 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)
6 The land by the sea will become pastures
having wells for shepherds
and pens for flocks.(O)
7 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
8 “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)
9 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
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)
Jerusalem
3 Woe to the city of oppressors,(AX)
rebellious(AY) and defiled!(AZ)
2 She obeys(BA) no one,
she accepts no correction.(BB)
She does not trust(BC) in the Lord,
she does not draw near(BD) to her God.
3 Her officials within her
are roaring lions;(BE)
her rulers are evening wolves,(BF)
who leave nothing for the morning.(BG)
4 Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.(BH)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.(BI)
5 The Lord within her is righteous;(BJ)
he does no wrong.(BK)
Morning by morning(BL) he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,(BM)
yet the unrighteous know no shame.(BN)
Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant
6 “I have destroyed nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;(BO)
they are deserted and empty.
7 Of Jerusalem I thought,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’(BP)
Then her place of refuge[c] would not be destroyed,
nor all my punishments come upon[d] her.
But they were still eager
to act corruptly(BQ) in all they did.
8 Therefore wait(BR) for me,”
declares the Lord,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.[e]
I have decided to assemble(BS) the nations,(BT)
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(BU) on them—
all my fierce anger.(BV)
The whole world will be consumed(BW)
by the fire of my jealous anger.
Restoration of Israel’s Remnant
9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call(BX) on the name of the Lord(BY)
and serve(BZ) him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush[f](CA)
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.(CB)
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame(CC)
for all the wrongs you have done to me,(CD)
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.(CE)
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.(CF)
12 But I will leave within you
the meek(CG) and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust(CH) in the name of the Lord.
13 They(CI) will do no wrong;(CJ)
they will tell no lies.(CK)
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.(CL)
They will eat and lie down(CM)
and no one will make them afraid.(CN)”
14 Sing, Daughter Zion;(CO)
shout aloud,(CP) Israel!
Be glad and rejoice(CQ) with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;(CR)
never again will you fear(CS) any harm.(CT)
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.(CU)
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.(CV)
He will take great delight(CW) in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,(CX)
but will rejoice over you with singing.”(CY)
18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed(CZ) you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.(DA)
I will give them praise(DB) and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring(DC) you home.
I will give you honor(DD) and praise(DE)
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[g](DF)
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
- Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region
- Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
- Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over
- Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder
- Zephaniah 3:10 That is, the upper Nile region
- Zephaniah 3:20 Or I bring back your captives
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