Five-year Bible reading plan for 27 February 2018

New American Standard Bible (en)

New American Standard Bible (en)

Zephaniah, Chapter 2

¹ Judgments on Judah’s Enemies

¹ Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without^a Or longingshame, ² Before the decree^b Lit is borntakes effect— The day passes like the chaff— Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you. ³ Seek the LORD, All you humble of the^c Or landearth Who have carried out His^d Or justiceordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’S anger.	1 Ch2 20:4 Joe 1:14 Jer 3:3 Jer 6:15 2 Isa 17:13 Hos 13:3 Lam 4:11 Nah 1:6 Zep 1:18 3 Psa 105:4 Amo 5:6 Psa 22:26 Isa 11:4 Amo 5:14 Amo 5:15 Psa 57:1 Isa 26:20
⁴ For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted. ⁵ Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the^eCherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you So that there will be no inhabitant. ⁶ So the seacoast will be pastures, With^f Or meadows or wellscaves for shepherds and folds for flocks. ⁷ And the coast will be For the remnant of the house of Judah, They will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the LORD their God will care for them And restore their fortune.	4 Amo 1:7 Amo 1:8 Zec 9:5-7 Amo 1:7 Amo 1:8 Zec 9:5-7 Amo 1:7 Amo 1:8 Zec 9:5-7 5 Eze 25:16 Amo 3:1 Zep 1:11 Isa 14:29 Isa 14:30 Zep 3:6 6 Isa 5:17 Isa 7:25 7 Isa 11:16 Isa 32:14 Exo 4:31 Psa 80:14 Jer 32:44 Zep 3:20
⁸ “I have heard the^g Lit reproachtaunting of Moab And the revilings of the sons of Ammon, With which they have^h Lit reproachedtaunted My people Andⁱ Lit made themselves greatbecome arrogant against their territory. ⁹ “Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, “Surely Moab will be like Sodom And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah— A place possessed by nettles and salt pits, And a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”	8 Eze 25:8 Eze 25:3 Amo 1:13 9 Isa 15:1-9 Jer 48:1-47 Amo 2:1-3 Gen 19:24 Jer 49:1-6 Eze 25:1-10 Deu 29:23 Isa 11:14
¹⁰ This they will have in return for their pride, because they have^j Lit reproachedtaunted and^k Lit made themselves greatbecome arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts. ¹¹ The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will^l Lit make leanstarve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.	10 Isa 16:6 Zep 2:8 11 Joe 2:11 Zep 1:4 Isa 24:15 Psa 72:8-11 Zep 3:9
¹² “You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.” ¹³ And He will stretch out His hand against the north And destroy Assyria, And He will make Nineveh a desolation, Parched like the wilderness. ¹⁴ Flocks will lie down in her midst, ^mAll beasts which range in herds; Both theⁿ Or owl or jackdawpelican and the hedgehog Will lodge in^o Lit her capitalsthe tops of her pillars; ^p Lit A voiceBirds will sing in the window, Desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work. ¹⁵ This is the exultant city Which dwells securely, Who says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” How she has become a desolation, A resting place for beasts! Everyone who passes by her will hiss And wave his hand in contempt.	12 Isa 18:1-7 Isa 20:4 Isa 20:5 Eze 30:4-9 13 Isa 14:26 Zep 1:4 Isa 10:16 Mic 5:6 Nah 3:7 14 Isa 14:23 Isa 34:11 15 Isa 22:2 Isa 32:9 Isa 32:11 Isa 47:8 Isa 47:8 Eze 28:2 Eze 28:9 Isa 32:14 Jer 18:16 Jer 19:8

Read more:Zephaniah, Chapter 3

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2 An exhortation to repentance, Zep 2:1-3.
A denunciation of the judgments of God against the Philistines, Zep 2:4-7.
The Moabites and Ammonites, Zep 2:8-11.
The Arabians and Assyrians, Zep 2:12-15.

2:1 Gather yourselves - Call a solemn assembly, proclaim a fast.Not desired - Or, not desirous. Unwilling to return, and unworthy to be received on your return.

2:2 The decree - Before God's decree is put in execution.The day - Before the day of your calamities.As the chaff - Carry you away as the wind carries chaff away.

2:3 Seek - Fear, worship, depend on him alone.Ye meek - Ye humble ones. Wrought his judgment - Obeyed his precepts.Seek righteousness - Continue therein. Seek meekness - Patiently wait on the just and merciful God. Hid - Under the wing of Divine Providence.

2:4 For - It is time to seek God; for your neighbours, as well as you, shall be destroyed. Gaza - A chief city of the Philistines.They - The Babylonians. Shall drive - Into captivity.At the noon day - It shall be taken by force at noon.

2:5 The inhabitants - All the Philistines. Cherethites - Or destroyers, men that were stout, fierce, and terrible to their neighbours. O Canaan - That part that the Philistines kept by force from the Jews.

2:6 For shepherds - Instead of cities full of rich citizens, there shall be only cottages for shepherds.

2:7 The coast - The sea - coast, the land of the Philistines.The remnant - That survive the captivity. Shall feed - Their flocks.In the houses - In places where these formerly stood.They - Both shepherds and flocks. Shall visit - In mercy.

2:8 I - God. Magnified themselves - Invading their frontiers.

2:9 Of nettles - Not cultivated, but over - run with nettles.Salt - pits - A dry, barren earth, fit only to dig salt out of.The residue - That return out of Babylon. Possess them - Settle upon those parts of their lands, that are fit for habitation.

2:11 Famish - Take away all their sacrifices and drink - offerings.The gods - Idols of those lands.From his place - Not only at Jerusalem, but every where.

2:12 By my sword - The Chaldeans are called God's sword; because God employed them.

2:13 He - God. The north - Assyria, which lay northward of Judea, and due north from Babylon.

2:14 All the beasts - All sorts of beasts which are found in those countries. The bittern - A bird that delights in desolate places.

2:15 This - So the prophet triumphs over her.There is none - None like me, or that can contend with me.

NOTES

Until now we have heard more than once the calls addressed to sinners to repent and change their ways. But now a different prophetic call is heard: "examine yourselves," and these words are worth pondering...

The Day of the Lord, the day when the Lord would come to His land, to His people, was expected in Israel as a day of triumph over the nations, the day when Israel would reign over all peoples. But the prophets bring a completely different vision of this day...

National conceit probably arose as soon as the building of the Tower of Babel was left unfinished...

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