Zephaniah 2

Chapter 2

A Call to Repentance

1 Gather together—yes, gather together,
you shameless nation.2 Gather before judgment begins,
before your time to repent is blown away like chaff.
Act now, before the fierce fury of the LORD falls
and the terrible day of the LORD’s anger begins.3 Seek the LORD, all who are humble,
and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right
and to live humbly.
Perhaps even yet the LORD will protect you—
protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.

Judgment against Philistia

4 Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned,
Ashdod and Ekron torn down.5 And what sorrow awaits you Philistinest
who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan,
for this judgment is against you, too!
The LORD will destroy you
until not one of you is left.6 The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture,
a place of shepherd camps
and enclosures for sheep and goats.7 The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there.
They will rest at night in the abandoned houses in Ashkelon.
For the LORD their God will visit his people in kindness
and restore their prosperity again.

Judgment against Moab and Ammon

8 “I have heard the taunts of the Moabites
and the insults of the Ammonites,
mocking my people
and invading their borders.9 Now, as surely as I live,”
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
“Moab and Ammon will be destroyed—
destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Their land will become a place of stinging nettles,
salt pits, and eternal desolation.
The remnant of my people will plunder them
and take their land.”10 They will receive the wages of their pride,
for they have scoffed at the people of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.11 The LORD will terrify them
as he destroys all the gods in the land.
Then nations around the world will worship the LORD,
each in their own land.

Judgment against Ethiopia and Assyria

12 “You Ethiopianst will also be slaughtered
by my sword,” says the LORD.13 And the LORD will strike the lands of the north with his fist,
destroying the land of Assyria.
He will make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland,
parched like a desert.14 The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds,
and all sorts of wild animals will settle there.
The desert owl and screech owl will roost on its ruined columns,
their calls echoing through the gaping windows.
Rubble will block all the doorways,
and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather.15 This is the boisterous city,
once so secure.
“I am the greatest!” it boasted.
“No other city can compare with me!”
But now, look how it has become an utter ruin,
a haven for wild animals.
Everyone passing by will laugh in derision
and shake a defiant fist.

ZEPHANIAH 2

Turn to the [Lord]

1 You disgraceful nation,
gather around,

2 before it's too late.
The [Lord] has set a time
when his fierce anger
will strike like a storm
and sweep you away.

3 If you humbly obey the [Lord],
then come and worship him.
If you do right and are humble,
perhaps you will be safe
on that day when the [Lord]
turns loose his anger.

Judgment on Philistia

4  t Gaza and Ashkelon
will be deserted
and left in ruins.
Ashdod will be emptied
in broad daylight,
and Ekront uprooted.

5 To you people of Philistiat
who live along the coast,
the [Lord] has this to say:
“I am now your enemy,
and I'll wipe you out!”

6 Your seacoast will be changed
into pastureland
and sheep pens.t

7 The [Lord] God hasn't forgotten
those survivors in Judah,
and he will help them—
his people will take your land
to use for pasture.
And when evening comes,
they will rest
in houses at Ashkelon.t

Judgment on Moab //and Ammon

8 t The [Lord] All-Powerful,
the God of Israel, said:
I've heard Moab and Ammon
insult my people
and threaten their nation.t

9  t And so, I swear by my very life
that Moab and Ammon will end up
like Sodom and Gomorrah—
covered with thornbushes
and salt pits forever.
Then my people who survive
will take their land.

10 This is how Moab and Ammon
will at last be repaid
for their pride—
and for sneering at the nation
that belongs to me,
the [Lord] All-Powerful.

11 I will fiercely attack.
Then every god on this earth
will shrink to nothing,
and everyone of every nation
will bow down to me,
right where they are.

Judgment on Ethiopia

12  t People of Ethiopia, t
the sword of the [Lord]
will slaughter you!

Judgment on Assyria

13  t The [Lord] will reach to the north
to crush Assyria
and overthrow Nineveh.t

14 Herds of wild animals
will live in its rubble;
all kinds of desert owls
will perch on its stones
and hoot in the windows.
Noisy ravens will be heard
inside its buildings,
stripped bare of cedar.t

15 This is the glorious city
that felt secure and said,
“I am the only one!”
Now it's merely ruins,
a home for wild animals.
Every passerby simply sneers
and makes vulgar signs.