Chapter 2

Judgments on Judah’s Enemies

1 Gather yourselves together, yes, agather,

O nation bwithout 1shame,

2 Before the decree 1takes effect—

The day passes alike the chaff—

Before the bburning anger of the Lord comes upon you,

Before the cday of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.

3 aSeek the Lord,

All you bhumble of the 1earth

Who have carried out His 2ordinances;

cSeek righteousness, seek humility.

Perhaps you will be dhidden

In the day of the Lord’s anger.

4 For aGaza will be abandoned

And Ashkelon a desolation;

aAshdod will be driven out at noon

And aEkron will be uprooted.

5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,

The nation of the 1aCherethites!

The word of the Lord is bagainst you,

O cCanaan, land of the Philistines;

And I will ddestroy you

So that there will be eno inhabitant.

6 So the seacoast will be apastures,

With 1caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.

7 And the coast will be

For the aremnant of the house of Judah,

They will bpasture on it.

In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;

For the Lord their God will ccare for them

And drestore their fortune.

8 “I have heard the 1ataunting of Moab

And the brevilings of the sons of Ammon,

With which they have 2taunted My people

And 3cbecome arrogant against their territory.

9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,

The God of Israel,

“Surely aMoab will be like bSodom

And the sons of cAmmon like dGomorrah—

A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,

And a perpetual desolation.

The remnant of My people will eplunder them

And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10 This they will have in return for their apride, because they have 1btaunted and 2become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts.

11 The Lord will be aterrifying to them, for He will 1starve ball the gods of the earth; and all the ccoastlands of the nations will dbow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

12 “You also, O aEthiopians, will be slain by My sword.”

13 And He will astretch out His hand against the north

And destroy bAssyria,

And He will make cNineveh a desolation,

Parched like the wilderness.

14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,

1All beasts which range in herds;

Both the 2apelican and the hedgehog

Will lodge in 3the tops of her pillars;

4Birds will sing in the window,

Desolation will be on the threshold;

For He has laid bare the cedar work.

15 This is the aexultant city

Which bdwells securely,

Who says in her heart,

“cI am, and there is no one besides me.”

How she has become a ddesolation,

A resting place for beasts!

eEveryone who passes by her will hiss

And wave his hand in contempt.