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Zephaniah 2
1599 Geneva Bible
Zephaniah 2
1599 Geneva Bible
2 1 He moveth to return to God, 5 prophesying destruction against the Philistines, Moabites and others.
1 Gather [a]yourselves, even gather you, O nation not worthy to be loved,
2 Before the decree come forth, and ye be as chaff that passeth in a day, and before the fierce wrath of the Lord come upon you, and before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye the Lord all the meek of the earth, which [b]have wrought his judgment: seek righteousness, seek lowliness, if so be that ye may be hid in the day of the Lord’s wrath.
4 For [c]Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon desolate: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
5 [Woe] unto the inhabitants of the sea [d]coast. the nation of the Cherethims, the word of the Lord is against you: O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee without an inhabitant.
6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds and sheepfolds.
7 And that coast shall be for the [e]remnant of the house of Judah, to feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they judge toward night: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.
8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the rebukes of the children of Ammon, whereby they upbraided my people, and [f]magnified themselves against their borders.
9 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation, the residue of my folk shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached, and magnified themselves against the Lord of host’s people.
11 The Lord will be terrible unto them: [g]for he will consume all the gods of the earth, and every man shall worship him from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
12 Ye Morians also shall be slain by my sword with them.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the North, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh desolate, and waste like a wilderness.
14 And flocks shall lie in the midst of her, and all the beasts of the nations, and the [h]pelican and the [i]owl shall abide in the upper posts of it: the voice of birds shall sing in the windows, and desolations shall be upon the posts: for the cedars are uncovered.
15 This is the [j]rejoicing city that dwelt careless, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she made waste, and the lodging of the beasts! everyone that passeth by her shall hiss and wag his hand.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:1 He exhorteth them to repentance, and willeth them to descend into themselves and gather themselves, lest they be scattered like chaff.
- Zephaniah 2:3 That is, which have lived uprightly and godly according as he prescribeth by his word.
- Zephaniah 2:4 He comforteth the faithful in that God would change his punishments from them unto the Philistines their enemies and other nations.
- Zephaniah 2:5 That is, Galilee: by these nations he meaneth the people that dwelt near to the Jews, and instead of friendship were their enemies: therefore he calleth them Canaanites whom the Lord appointed to be slain.
- Zephaniah 2:7 He showeth why God would destroy their enemies, because their country might be a resting place for his Church.
- Zephaniah 2:8 These nations presumed to take from the Jews that country which the Lord had given them.
- Zephaniah 2:11 When he shall deliver his people and destroy their enemies and Idols, his glory shall shine throughout all the world.
- Zephaniah 2:14 Read Isa. 34:11.
- Zephaniah 2:14 Or, hedgehog.
- Zephaniah 2:15 Meaning, Nineveh, which rejoicing so much of her strength and prosperity, should be thus made waste, and God’s people delivered.
Zephaniah 2
New International Version
Zephaniah 2
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)
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
- Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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