Zephaniah 2:1–3:17

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations

Judah Summoned to Repent

2 Gather together,v gather yourselves together,

you shamefulw nation,

2 before the decree takes effect

and that day passes like windblown chaff,x

before the Lord’s fierce angery

comes upon you,

before the day of the Lord’s wrathz

comes upon you.

3 Seeka the Lord, all you humble of the land,

you who do what he commands.

Seek righteousness,b seek humility;c

perhaps you will be shelteredd

on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Philistia

4 Gazae will be abandoned

and Ashkelonf left in ruins.

At midday Ashdod will be emptied

and Ekron uprooted.

5 Woe to you who live by the sea,

you Kerethiteg people;

the word of the Lord is against you,h

Canaan, land of the Philistines.

He says, “I will destroy you,

and none will be left.”i

6 The land by the sea will become pastures

having wells for shepherds

and pens for flocks.j

7 That land will belong

to the remnantk 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 l

Moab and Ammon

8 “I have heard the insultsm of Moabn

and the taunts of the Ammonites,o

who insultedp my people

and made threats against their land.q

9 Therefore, as surely as I live,”

declares the Lord Almighty,

the God of Israel,

“surely Moabr will become like Sodom,s

the Ammonitest like Gomorrah—

a place of weeds and salt pits,

a wasteland forever.

The remnant of my people will plunderu them;

the survivorsv of my nation will inherit their land.w”

10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,x

for insultingy and mocking

the people of the Lord Almighty.z

11 The Lord will be awesomea to them

when he destroys all the godsb of the earth.c

Distant nations will bow down to him,d

all of them in their own lands.

Cush

12 “You Cushites,b e too,

will be slain by my sword.f”

Assyria

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north

and destroy Assyria,g

leaving Ninevehh utterly desolate

and dry as the desert.i

14 Flocks and herdsj will lie down there,

creatures of every kind.

The desert owlk and the screech owll

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 revelrym

that lived in safety.n

She said to herself,

“I am the one! And there is none besides me.”o

What a ruin she has become,

a lair for wild beasts!p

All who pass by her scoffq

and shake their fists.r

Jerusalem

3 Woe to the city of oppressors,s

rebellioust and defiled!u

2 She obeysv no one,

she accepts no correction.w

She does not trustx in the Lord,

she does not draw neary to her God.

3 Her officials within her

are roaring lions;z

her rulers are evening wolves,a

who leave nothing for the morning.b

4 Her prophets are unprincipled;

they are treacherous people.c

Her priests profane the sanctuary

and do violence to the law.d

5 The Lord within her is righteous;e

he does no wrong.f

Morning by morningg he dispenses his justice,

and every new day he does not fail,h

yet the unrighteous know no shame.i

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;j

they are deserted and empty.

7 Of Jerusalem I thought,

‘Surely you will fear me

and accept correction!’k

Then her place of refugea would not be destroyed,

nor all my punishments come uponb her.

But they were still eager

to act corruptlyl in all they did.

8 Therefore waitm for me,”

declares the Lord,

“for the day I will stand up to testify.c

I have decided to assemblen the nations,o

to gather the kingdoms

and to pour out my wrathp on them—

all my fierce anger.q

The whole world will be consumedr

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 calls on the name of the Lordt

and serveu him shoulder to shoulder.

10 From beyond the rivers of Cushd v

my worshipers, my scattered people,

will bring me offerings.w

11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shamex

for all the wrongs you have done to me,y

because I will remove from you

your arrogant boasters.z

Never again will you be haughty

on my holy hill.a

12 But I will leave within you

the meekb and humble.

The remnant of Israel

will trustc in the name of the Lord.

13 Theyd will do no wrong;e

they will tell no lies.f

A deceitful tongue

will not be found in their mouths.g

They will eat and lie downh

and no one will make them afraid.i”

14 Sing, Daughter Zion;j

shout aloud,k Israel!

Be glad and rejoicel 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;m

never again will you fearn any harm.o

16 On that day

they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.p

17 The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.q

He will take great delightr in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,s

but will rejoice over you with singing.”t