Zephaniah 2 · The Lantern

A Call to Repentance

Gather yourselves and gather, nation not longed for,

Struggle, my beloved, for the time is near and the days have been shortened. There is no father who instructs his children, there is no child who obeys his father; good virgins are no longer; the holy fathers have died on all sides; the mothers and the widows are no longer, and we have become like orphans; the humble are crushed underfoot; and blows are showered upon the head o…

(Chapter 2, verses 1, 2.) Come together, gather, o unlovable nation: before the command gives birth, like passing dust, to the day: before the wrath of the fury of the Lord comes upon you, before the anger of the indignation of the Lord comes upon you.

One of the prophets rightly spoke of this relation to those who had fallen into negligence: "Be gathered again and tied back together, you undisciplined nation, before you become like the flower that passes away." A disciple can also be said to "attach" himself to a teacher in terms of a love of study, and we too can attach ourselves to one another not in one fashion only but i…

before the decree gives birth — the day passes like chaff — before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth who have done his judgment; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Judgment on the Philistines

For Gaza will be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod — at noon they will drive her out — and Ekron will be uprooted.

Woe, those dwelling in the region of the sea, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you, with no inhabitant.

And the region of the sea will become pastures, with pits for shepherds and folds for flocks.

And the region will be for the remnant of the house of Judah; on them they will graze. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening, for the LORD their God will attend to them and restore their fortunes.

Judgment on Moab and Ammon

I have heard the reproach of Moab and the revilings of the sons of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people and magnified themselves against their border.

Therefore, as I live — the utterance of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel — surely Moab will be like Sodom and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah: a possession of nettles and a pit of salt and a desolation forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the remainder of my nation will inherit them.

This is theirs in place of their pride, because they reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.

The LORD is to be feared over them, for he will make lean all the gods of the earth; and they will bow down to him, each from his place, all the coastlands of the nations.

Despite all this, they still could not raise up a temple and restore the place in which they would be allowed to observe all these rituals according to the law. For the power of Christ, the power which founded the church, has also destroyed that place.

Nor think that it was foretold that the nations should come unto some one place of God, in that it was said, "Unto Thee shall the nations come from the extremity of the earth." Understand, if you can, that unto the God of the Christians, Who is the Supreme and True God, the peoples of the nations come, not by walking but by believing.

The Lord will come suddenly upon them, and will utterly destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations! From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia shall they bring offering to me.

Judgment on Cush and Assyria

You also, Cushites — they are the slain of my sword.

And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria; and he will make Nineveh a desolation, dry like the wilderness.

And flocks will lie down in her midst, every beast of the nation; both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge on her capitals; a voice will sing in the window, dryness on the threshold — for the cedarwork is laid bare.