Zephaniah 2:1–3:8: Seek Righteousness, Seek Humility": The Nations and the City
Scripture: Berean Standard Bible
Gather yourselves, gather together,O shameful nation,before the decree takes effectand the day passes like chaff,before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you,before the Day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you.Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earthwho carry out his justice.Seek righteousness; seek humility.Perhaps you will be shelteredon the day of the LORD’s anger.
For Gaza will be abandoned,and Ashkelon left in ruins.Ashdod will be driven out at noon,and Ekron will be uprooted.Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast,O nation of the Cherethites!The word of the LORD is against you,O Canaan, land of the Philistines:“I will destroy you,and no one will be left.”So the seacoast will become a land of pastures,with wells for shepherds and folds for sheep.The coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah;there they will find pasture.They will lie down in the eveningamong the houses of Ashkelon,for the LORD their God will attend to themand restore their captives.
“I have heard the reproach of Moaband the insults of the Ammonites,who have taunted my peopleand threatened their borders.Therefore, as surely as I live,”declares the LORD of Hosts,the God of Israel,“surely Moab will be like Sodomand the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits,a perpetual wasteland.The remnant of my people will plunder them;the remainder of my nation will dispossess them.”
This they shall have in return for their pride,for taunting and mocking the peopleof the LORD of Hosts.The LORD will be terrifying to themwhen he starves all the gods of the earth.Then the nations of every shorewill bow in worship to him,each in its own place.
“You too, O Cushites,will be slain by my sword.”
And he will stretch out his hand against the northand destroy Assyria;he will make Nineveh a desolation,as dry as a desert.Herds will lie down in her midst,creatures of every kind.Both the desert owl and screech owlwill roost atop her pillars.Their calls will sound from the window,but desolation will lie on the threshold,for he will expose the beams of cedar.
This carefree citythat dwells securely,that thinks to herself:“I am it, and there is none besides me,”what a ruin she has become,a resting place for beasts.Everyone who passes by herhisses and shakes his fist.Woe to the city of oppressors,rebellious and defiled!She heeded no voice;she accepted no correction.She does not trust in the LORD;she has not drawn near to her God.Her princes are roaring lions;her judges are evening wolves,leaving nothing for the morning.Her prophets are reckless,faithless men.Her priests profane the sanctuary;they do violence to the law.The LORD within her is righteous;he does no wrong.He applies his justice morning by morning;he does not fail at dawn,yet the unjust know no shame.
“I have cut off the nations;their corner towers are destroyed.I have made their streets desertedwith no one to pass through.Their cities are laid waste,with no man, no inhabitant.I said, ‘Surely you will fear meand accept correction.’Then her dwelling place would not be cut offdespite all for which I punished her.But they rose earlyto corrupt all their deeds.Therefore wait for me,”declares the LORD,“until the dayI rise to testify.For my decision is to gather nations,to assemble kingdoms,to pour out upon them my indignation—all my burning anger.For all the earth will be consumedby the fire of my jealousy.