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 2,15 Zeph 2,15
Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will {Hebrew: visit upon.}punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down {Or, the inhabitants}them that sit on thrones:
and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.
Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that {Or, dwellest}sittest securely, that sayest in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the {Or, exactress}golden city ceased!
then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
O thou that art full of shoutings, a tumultuous city, a joyous town; thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.
Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyre, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the {Hebrew: heart.}midst of the seas; yet thou art man, and not God, though thou didst set thy heart as the heart of God; —
Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers;
{Or, and this house shall be high; everyone &c.}And though this house is so high, yet shall every one that passeth by it be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house?
And thou saidst, I shall be mistress for ever; so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end thereof.
Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou art man, and not God, in the hand of him that {Or, profaneth}woundeth thee.
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!She is become as a widow, that was great among the nations!She that was a princess among the provinces is become tributary!
Men shall clap their hands at him,And shall hiss him out of his place.
How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed {Or, luxurious}wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning.
Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is {Some ancient authorities omit the Lord.}the Lord God who judged her.
And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived {Or, luxuriously}wantonly with her, shall weep and wail over her, when they look upon the smoke of her burning,
standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger!He hath cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel,And hath not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.
The righteous also shall see it, and fear,And shall laugh at him, saying,
standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their {Greek: cargo.}merchandise any more;
{Greek: cargo.}merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet; and all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;
and cinnamon, and {Greek: amomum.}spice, and incense, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and merchandise of horses and chariots and {Greek: bodies. Genesis 36:6 (Septuagint Version)}slaves; and {Or, lives}souls of men.
And the fruits which thy soul lusted after are gone from thee, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous are perished from thee, and men shall find them no more at all.
The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning;
saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she that was arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and {Greek: gilded.}decked with gold and precious stone and pearl!
for in one hour so great riches is made desolate. And every shipmaster, and every one that saileth any whither, and mariners, and as many as {Greek: work the sea.}gain their living by sea, stood afar off,
and cried out as they looked upon the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city?
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Lo, this is the man that made not God his {Or, stronghold}strength,But trusted in the abundance of his riches,And strengthened himself in his wickedness.
All that pass by clap their hands at thee;They hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying,Is this the city that men called The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
The merchants among the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become {Or, a destruction}a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.
There is no assuaging of thy hurt: thy wound is grievous: all that hear the report of thee clap their hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads,