Day 39 · Zephaniah 1–3; Nahum 1–3
Old Testament · Phase 5 · The Babylonian Crisis & Fall of Jerusalem
The Day of the Lord; Prophecy against Nineveh’s fall
Zephaniah 1–3
Section titled “Zephaniah 1–3”Zephaniah Prophesies Judgment on Judah
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
2“I will completely sweep away
everything from the face of the earth,”
declares the LORD.
3“I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
and the idols with their wicked worshipers.
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,”
declares the LORD.
4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah
and against all who dwell in Jerusalem.
I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal,
the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests —
5those who bow on the rooftops
to worship the host of heaven,
those who bow down and swear by the LORD
but also swear by Milcom,
6and those who turn back
from following the LORD,
neither seeking the LORD
nor inquiring of Him.”
The Day of the LORD
7Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD,
for the Day of the LORD is near.
Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
He has consecrated His guests.
8“On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice
I will punish the princes,
the sons of the king,
and all who are dressed in foreign apparel.
9On that day I will punish
all who leap over the threshold,
who fill the house of their master
with violence and deceit.
10On that day,” declares the LORD,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second District,
and a loud crashing from the hills.
11Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow,
for all your merchants will be silenced;
all who weigh out silver will be cut off.
12And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish the men settled in complacency,
who say to themselves,
‘The LORD will do nothing,
either good or bad.’
13Their wealth will be plundered
and their houses laid waste.
They will build houses but not inhabit them,
and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.
14The great Day of the LORD is near —
near and coming quickly.
Listen, the Day of the LORD!
Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
15That day will be
a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress,
a day of destruction and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
16a day of horn blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities,
and against the high corner towers.
17I will bring such distress on mankind
that they will walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their flesh like dung.
18Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to deliver them
on the Day of the LORD’s wrath.
The whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of His jealousy.”
For indeed, He will make a sudden end
of all who dwell on the earth.
A Call to Repentance
1Gather yourselves, gather together,
O shameful nation,
2before the decree takes effect
and the day passes like chaff,
before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you,
before the Day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you.
3Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth
who carry out His justice.
Seek righteousness; seek humility.
Perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the LORD’s anger.
Judgment on the Philistines
4For Gaza will be abandoned,
and Ashkelon left in ruins.
Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
and Ekron will be uprooted.
5Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast,
O nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the LORD is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you,
and no one will be left.”
6So the seacoast will become a land of pastures,
with wells for shepherds and folds for sheep.
7The coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah;
there they will find pasture.
They will lie down in the evening
among the houses of Ashkelon,
for the LORD their God will attend to them
and restore their captives.
Judgment on Moab and Ammon
8“I have heard the reproach of Moab
and the insults of the Ammonites,
who have taunted My people
and threatened their borders.
9Therefore, as surely as I live,”
declares the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel,
“surely Moab will be like Sodom
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
a perpetual wasteland.
The remnant of My people will plunder them;
the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.”
10This they shall have in return for their pride,
for taunting and mocking the people
of the LORD of Hosts.
11The LORD will be terrifying to them
when He starves all the gods of the earth.
Then the nations of every shore
will bow in worship to Him,
each in its own place.
Judgment on Cush and Assyria
12“You too, O Cushites,
will be slain by My sword.”
13And He will stretch out His hand against the north
and destroy Assyria;
He will make Nineveh a desolation,
as dry as a desert.
14Herds will lie down in her midst,
creatures of every kind.
Both the desert owl and screech owl
will roost atop her pillars.
Their calls will sound from the window,
but desolation will lie on the threshold,
for He will expose the beams of cedar.
15This carefree city
that dwells securely,
that thinks to herself:
“I am it, and there is none besides me,”
what a ruin she has become,
a resting place for beasts.
Everyone who passes by her
hisses and shakes his fist.
Judgment on Jerusalem
1Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
2She heeded no voice;
she accepted no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD;
she has not drawn near to her God.
3Her princes are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves,
leaving nothing for the morning.
4Her prophets are reckless,
faithless men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to the law.
5The LORD within her is righteous;
He does no wrong.
He applies His justice morning by morning;
He does not fail at dawn,
yet the unjust know no shame.
Purification of the Nations
6“I have cut off the nations;
their corner towers are destroyed.
I have made their streets deserted
with no one to pass through.
Their cities are laid waste,
with no man, no inhabitant.
7I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me
and accept correction.’
Then her dwelling place would not be cut off
despite all for which I punished her.
But they rose early
to corrupt all their deeds.
8Therefore wait for Me,”
declares the LORD,
“until the day
I rise to testify.
For My decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them My indignation —
all My burning anger.
For all the earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.
A Faithful Remnant
9For then I will restore
pure lips to the peoples,
that all may call upon the name of the LORD
and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10From beyond the rivers of Cush
My worshipers, My scattered people,
will bring Me an offering.
11On that day you will not be put to shame
for any of the deeds
by which you have transgressed against Me.
For then I will remove from among you
those who rejoice in their pride,
and you will never again be haughty
on My holy mountain.
12But I will leave within you a meek and humble people,
and they will trust in the name of the LORD.
13The remnant of Israel
will no longer do wrong or speak lies,
nor will a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
But they will feed and lie down,
with no one to make them tremble.”
Israel’s Restoration
14Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15The LORD has taken away your punishment;
He has turned back your enemy.
Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;
no longer will you fear any harm.
16On that day they will say to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands fall limp.
17The LORD your God is among you;
He is mighty to save.
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you with His love;
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18“I will gather those among you who grieve
over the appointed feasts,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
19Behold, at that time,
I will deal with all who afflict you.
I will save the lame
and gather the scattered;
and I will appoint praise and fame
for the disgraced throughout the earth.
20At that time I will bring you in;
yes, at that time I will gather you.
For I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your captives
before your very eyes,”
says the LORD.
Nahum 1–3
Section titled “Nahum 1–3”The Burden against Nineveh
1This is the burden against Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
2The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
the LORD is avenging and full of wrath.
The LORD takes vengeance on His foes
and reserves wrath for His enemies.
3The LORD is slow to anger
and great in power;
the LORD will by no means
leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
He makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither,
and the flower of Lebanon wilts.
5The mountains quake before Him,
and the hills melt away;
the earth trembles at His presence—
the world and all its dwellers.
6Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His burning anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
even rocks are shattered before Him.
7The LORD is good,
a stronghold in the day of distress;
He cares for those who trust in Him.
8But with an overwhelming flood
He will make an end of Nineveh
and pursue His enemies into darkness.
9Whatever you plot against the LORD,
He will bring to an end.
Affliction will not rise up
a second time.
10For they will be entangled as with thorns
and consumed like the drink of a drunkard —
like stubble that is fully dry.
11From you, O Nineveh, comes forth
a plotter of evil against the LORD,
a counselor of wickedness.
12This is what the LORD says:
“Though they are allied and numerous,
yet they will be cut down and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you, O Judah,
I will afflict you no longer.
13For I will now break their yoke from your neck
and tear away your shackles.”
14The LORD has issued a command concerning you, O Nineveh:
“There will be no descendants
to carry on your name.
I will cut off the carved image and cast idol
from the house of your gods;
I will prepare your grave,
for you are contemptible.”
15Look to the mountains—
the feet of one who brings good news,
who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;
fulfill your vows.
For the wicked will never again march through you;
they will be utterly cut off.
The Overthrow of Nineveh
1One who scatters advances
against you, O Nineveh.
Guard the fortress!
Watch the road!
Brace yourselves!
Summon all your strength!
2For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
and ruined the branches of their vine.
3The shields of his mighty men are red;
the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet.
The fittings of the chariots flash like fire
on the day they are prepared,
and the spears of cypress
have been brandished.
4The chariots dash through the streets;
they rush around the plazas,
appearing like torches,
darting about like lightning.
5He summons his nobles;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
6The river gates are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7It is decreed that the city be exiled
and carried away;
her maidservants moan like doves,
and beat upon their breasts.
8Nineveh has been like a pool of water
throughout her days,
but now it is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9“Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.
10She is emptied!
Yes , she is desolate and laid waste!
Hearts melt, knees knock,
bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!
11Where is the lions’ lair
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs,
with nothing to frighten them away?
12The lion mauled enough for its cubs
and strangled prey for the lioness.
It filled its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.
13“Behold, I am against you,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
“I will reduce your chariots to cinders,
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”
Judgment on Nineveh
1Woe to the city of blood,
full of lies,
full of plunder,
never without prey.
2The crack of the whip,
the rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and bounding chariot!
3Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over their dead—
4because of the many harlotries of the harlot,
the seductive mistress of sorcery,
who betrays nations by her prostitution
and clans by her witchcraft.
5“Behold, I am against you,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
“I will lift your skirts over your face.
I will show your nakedness to the nations
and your shame to the kingdoms.
6I will pelt you with filth
and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.
7Then all who see you
will recoil from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated;
who will grieve for her?’
Where can I find
comforters for you?”
8Are you better than Thebes,
stationed by the Nile with water around her,
whose rampart was the sea,
whose wall was the water?
9Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put and Libya were her allies.
10Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity.
Her infants were dashed to pieces
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her dignitaries,
and all her nobles were bound in chains.
11You too will become drunk;
you will go into hiding
and seek refuge from the enemy.
12All your fortresses are fig trees
with the first ripe figs;
when shaken, they fall
into the mouth of the eater!
13Look at your troops —
they are like your women!
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire consumes their bars.
14Draw your water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.
Work the clay and tread the mortar;
repair the brick kiln!
15There the fire will devour you;
the sword will cut you down
and consume you like a young locust.
Make yourself many like the young locust;
make yourself many like the swarming locust!
16You have multiplied your merchants
more than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips the land
and flies away.
17Your guards are like the swarming locust,
and your scribes like clouds of locusts
that settle on the walls on a cold day.
When the sun rises, they fly away,
and no one knows where.
18O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
with no one to gather them.
19There is no healing for your injury;
your wound is severe.
All who hear the news of you
applaud your downfall,
for who has not experienced
your constant cruelty?