Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no {Or, longing}shame;
before the decree bring forth, {Or, (the day passeth as the chaff)}before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you.
Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
Woe unto the inhabitants of {Or, the region of the sea}the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with {Or, caves}cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks.
And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them, and {Or, return to}bring back their captivity.
I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of {Or, wild vetches}nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them.
This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the {Or, coast-lands}isles of the nations.
Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness.
And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, {Or, all beasts of every kind}all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the windows; {Or, drought}desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work.
This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
Querverweise zu Zephanja 2,3 Zeph 2,3
Seek ye Jehovah and his strength;Seek his face evermore.
because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah.
Brethren, I count not myself {Many ancient authorities omit yet.}yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before.
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof. And they brought back word to the king.
I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the {Or, upward}high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in.
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied;They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him:Let your heart live for ever.
Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,— that ye abound more and more.
Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God?
that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Jehovah's passover, {Or, for that he passed}who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
Only {Or, know}acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against Jehovah thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith Jehovah.
Good and upright is Jehovah:Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.
for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man:Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Return, O backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
The meek will he guide in justice;And the meek will he teach his way.
Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another {Many ancient authorities read from a clean heart. Compare 1 Timothy 1:5.}from the heart fervently:
Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee {Or, in the time of finding out sin}in a time when thou mayest be found:Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him.
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, if thou wilt return unto me, and {Or, if thou wilt put…and will not wander, and wilt swear…then shall the nations &c. or, then shalt thou swear…and the nations &c.}if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight; then shalt thou not be removed;
When God arose to judgment,To save all the meek of the earth. [Selah
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and {Greek: unto the day of eternity. Ecclus. 18:10}for ever. Amen.
Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble;Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. [Selah
and thou shalt swear, As Jehovah liveth, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people:He will beautify the meek with {Or, victory}salvation.
For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;For my soul taketh refuge in thee:Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,Until these {Or, wickedness}calamities be overpast.
And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the {Or, poor}meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and {Or, opening of the eyes}the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High {Or, That abideth…Almighty; Even I &c.}Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Shalt thou reign, because thou {Or, viest with the cedar}strivest to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him.
The name of Jehovah is a strong tower;The righteous runneth into it, and {Hebrew: is set on high.}is safe.
And the {Or, excellency}pride of Israel doth testify to his face: yet they have not returned unto Jehovah their God, nor sought him, for all this.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah.
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and {Or, teach you rightousness}rain righteousness upon you.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace.
For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;
but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall {Or, become vanity (Hebrew: Aven)}come to nought.
Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
For I will surely save thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith Jehovah.
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.
Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of {Or, malice}wickedness, receive with meekness the {Or, inborn}implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.
Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.
For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is {Many ancient authorities read your.}our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.