1 C ollect your thoughts, yes, unbend yourselves, O shameless nation!

Bend yourselves, yea, bend ye, O nation not desired,

2 T herefore consider, before God’s decree brings forth, before the time is gone like the drifting chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you—yes, before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you!

Before the bringing forth of a statute, As chaff hath the day passed on, While yet not come in upon you doth the heat of the anger of Jehovah, While yet not come in upon you doth a day of the anger of Jehovah,

3 S eek the Lord, all you humble of the land who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

Seek Jehovah, all ye humble of the land, Who His judgment have done, Seek ye righteousness, seek humility, It may be ye are hidden in a day of the anger of Jehovah.

4 F or Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; the people of Ashdod shall be driven out at noonday and Ekron shall be uprooted.

For Gaza is forsaken, And Ashkelon for a desolation, Ashdod! at noon they do cast her forth, And Ekron is rooted up.

5 W oe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.

Ho! O inhabitants of the sea-coast, Nation of the Cherethites, A word of Jehovah against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines, And I have destroyed thee without an inhabitant.

6 A nd the seacoast shall be pastures, with dwelling places and caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.

And the sea-coast hath been habitations, Cottages shepherds, and folds a flock.

7 T he seacoast shall belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall pasture their flocks upon it; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they of Judah lie down in the evening. For the Lord their God shall visit them and restore them from their captivity.

And the coast hath been for the remnant of the house of Judah, By them they have pleasure, In houses of Ashkelon at even they lie down, For inspect them doth Jehovah their God, And He hath turned back their captivity.

8 I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites by which they have reproached My people, and magnified themselves and made boasts against their territory.

I have heard the reproach of Moab, And the revilings of the sons of Ammon, Wherewith they reproached My people, And magnify against their border.

9 T herefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and wild vetches and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people shall make a prey of them and what is left of My nation shall possess them.

Therefore, I live, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Surely, Moab is as Sodom, And the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, An overrunning of nettles and salt-pits, And a desolation -- unto the age. A residue of My people do seize them, And a remnant of My nation inherit them.

10 T his shall they have for their pride, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.

This to them for their arrogancy, Because they have reproached, And they magnify against the people of Jehovah of Hosts.

11 T he Lord will be terrible to them, for He will make lean and famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship Him, every one from his place, even all the isles and coastlands of the nations.

Fearful Jehovah against them, For He made bare all gods of the land, And bow themselves to Him, each from his place, Do all islanders of the nations.

12 Y ou Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by My sword.

Also ye, O Cushim, pierced of My sword they.

13 A nd will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert.

And He stretcheth His hand against the north, And doth destroy Asshur, And he setteth Nineveh for a desolation, A dry land like a wilderness.

14 H erds shall lie down in the midst of, all the beasts of the nations and of every kind; both the pelican and the hedgehog shall lodge on the upper part of her pillars; the voice shall sing in the windows; desolation and drought shall be on the thresholds, for her cedar paneling will He lay bare.

And crouched in her midst have droves, Every beast of the nation, Both pelican and hedge-hog in her knobs lodge, A voice doth sing at the window, `Destruction at the threshold, For the cedar-work is exposed.'

15 T his is the joyous and exultant city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am and there is none beside me. What a desolation she has become, a lair for beasts! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and wave his hand.

This the exulting city that is dwelling confidently, That is saying in her heart, `I, and beside me there is none,' How hath she been for a desolation, A crouching-place for beasts, Every one passing by her doth hiss, He doth shake his hand!