Online Bible

Judgments on Judah’s Enemies

Gather yourselves together, yes, ^ajoin together,You nation ^bwithout ¹shame,2 Before the decree ¹takes effect—The day passes ^alike chaff—Before the ^bburning anger of the LORD comes upon you,Before the ^cday of the LORD’S anger comes upon you.3 ^aSeek the LORD,All you ^bhumble of the ¹earthWho have practiced His ²ordinances;^cSeek righteousness, seek humility.Perhaps you will ^dremain hiddenOn the day of the LORD’S anger.

4 For ^aGaza will be abandoned,And Ashkelon will become a desolation;The inhabitants of ^bAshdod will be driven out at noon,And ^cEkron will be uprooted.5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,The nation of the ¹^aCherethites!The word of the LORD is ^bagainst you,^cCanaan, land of the Philistines;And I will ^deliminate youSo that there will be ^eno inhabitant.6 So the seacoast will become ^agrazing places,With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.7 And the coast will beFor the ^aremnant of the house of Judah,They will ^bdrive sheep to pasture on it.In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;For the LORD their God will ^ccare for themAnd ^drestore their fortunes.

8 “I have heard the ^ataunting of MoabAnd the ^babusive speech of the sons of Ammon,With which they have taunted My peopleAnd ^cboasted against their territory.9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of armies,The God of Israel,“^aMoab will assuredly be like ^bSodom,And the sons of ^cAmmon like ^dGomorrah—Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,And a permanent desolation.The remnant of My people will ^eplunder them,And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10 This they will have in return for their ^aarrogance, because they have ^btaunted and boasted against the people of the LORD of armies. 11 The LORD will be ^aterrifying to them, for He will ¹starve ^ball the gods of the earth; and all the ^ccoastlands of the nations will ^dbow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

12 “You also, ^aEthiopians, will be slain by My sword.”13 And He will ^astretch out His hand against the northAnd eliminate ^bAssyria,And He will make ^cNineveh a desolation,Parched like the wilderness.14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,¹All animals that range in herds;Both the ²^apelican and the hedgehogWill spend their nights in ³the tops of her pillars;⁴Birds will sing in the window,Devastation will be on the threshold;For He has uncovered the cedar work.15 This is the ^apresumptuous cityThat ^bdwells securely,Who says in her heart,“^cI am, and there is no one besides me.”How she has become a ^ddesolation,A resting place for animals!^eEveryone who passes by her will ¹hissAnd wave his hand in contempt.

Seek Yahweh Before His Day of Anger

Gather yourselves together, indeed, ^agather,O nation ^bwithout ¹shame,2 Before the decree ¹takes effect—The day passes ^alike the chaff—Before the ^bburning anger of Yahweh comes upon you,Before the ^cday of Yahweh’s anger comes upon you.3 ^aSeek Yahweh,All you ^bhumble of the ¹earthWho have worked His justice;^cSeek righteousness, seek humility.Perhaps you will be ^dhiddenIn the day of Yahweh’s anger.

4 For ^aGaza will be ¹forsakenAnd Ashkelon a desolation;^bAshdod will be driven out at noon,And ^cEkron will be uprooted.5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,The nation of the ¹^aCherethites!The word of Yahweh is ^bagainst you,O ^cCanaan, land of the Philistines;And I will ^dmake you perishSo that there will be ^eno inhabitant.6 So the seacoast will be ^apastures,With ¹caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.7 And the coast will beFor the ^aremnant of the house of Judah;They will ^bfeed upon it.In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;For Yahweh their God will ^ccare for themAnd ^drestore their fortune.

8 “I have heard the ^areproach of MoabAnd the ^brevilings of the sons of Ammon,With which they have reproached My peopleAnd ^cmagnified themselves against their territory.9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares Yahweh of hosts,The God of Israel,“Surely ^aMoab will be like ^bSodomAnd the sons of ^cAmmon like ^dGomorrah—A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,And a perpetual desolation.The remnant of My people will ^eplunder them,And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10 This they will have in return for their ^apride because they have ^breproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh of hosts. 11 Yahweh will be ^afearsome to them, for He will ¹starve ^ball the gods of the earth; and all the ^ccoastlands of the nations will ^dbow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

12 “You also, O ^aEthiopians, will be slain by My sword.”13 And He will ^astretch out His hand against the northAnd cause ^bAssyria to perish,And He will make ^cNineveh a desolation,Parched like the wilderness.14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,All the beasts of the nation;Both the ¹^apelican and the hedgehogWill lodge in ²the tops of her pillars;Their voice will sing in the window,Ruin will be on the threshold;For He has laid bare the cedar work.15 This is the ^aexultant cityWhich ^binhabits securely,Who says in her heart,“^cI am, and there is no one besides me.”How she has become an object of ^dhorror,A resting place for beasts!^eEveryone who passes by her will hissAnd wave his hand in contempt.