Judgments on Judah’s Enemies
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,
2 Before the decree takes effect-
The day passes like the chaff-
Before the burning anger of the Lordcomes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’sanger comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’sanger.
4 For Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
And Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
# The nation of theCherethites!
The word of the Lordis against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will destroy you
So that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will be pastures,
Withcaves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lordtheir God will care for them
And restore their fortune.
8 “I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.
9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lordof hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah-
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lordof hosts.
11 The Lordwill be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from hisownplace.
12 “You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All beasts which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolationwill beon the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.
15 This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
Andwave his handin contempt.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/ZEP/2-fc77ef7a1d5759f00096b8653c183bd6.mp3?version_id=100—