Zephaniah 2

1 Assemble yourselves together, be gathered together, O nation not worthy to be loved:

Saml jer, saml jer, I Folk, som ej kender Skam,

2 Before the decree bring forth the day as dust passing away, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s indignation come upon you.

før l endnu er blevet som flyvende Avner, før HERRENs glødende Harme kommer over eder, før HERRENs Vredes Dag kommer over eder.

3 Seek the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, you that have wrought his judgment: seek the just, seek the meek: if by any means you may be hid in the day of the Lord’s indignation.

Søg HERREN, alle l ydmyge i Landet, som holder hans Bud, søg Retfærd, søg Ydmyghed! Måske kan l skjule jer på HERRENs Vredes Dag.

4 For Gaza shall be destroyed, and Ascalon shall be a desert, they shall cast out Azotus at noonday, and Accaron shall be rooted up.

Thi Gaza skal ligge forladt og Askalon øde, Asdod drives bort ved Middag, Ekron udryddes.

5 Woe to you that inhabit the sea coast, O nation of reprobates: the word of the Lord upon you, O Chanaan, the land of the Philistines, and I will destroy thee, so that there shall not be an inhabitant.

Ve dem, som bor ved Stranden, Kreternes Folk; HERRENs Ord over dig, Kana'an, Filisternes Land! Jeg gør dig til intet, så ingen bor der.

6 And the sea coast shall be the resting place of shepherds, and folds for cattle:

Du skal blive til Græsmark for Hyrder, til Folde for Småkvæg.

7 And it shall be the portion of him that shall remain of the house of Juda, there they shall feed: in the houses of Ascalon they shall rest in the evening: because the Lord their God will visit them, and bring back their captivity.

Og Stranden skal tilfalde Resten af Judas Hus; de skal græsse derpå. Lejr skal de slå ved Kvæld i Askalons Huse. Thi HERREN deres Gud ser til dem og vender deres Skæbne.

8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the blasphemies of the children of Ammon, with which they reproached my people, and have magnified themselves upon their borders.

Jeg hørte Moabs Spot, Atnmoniternes hånende Ord, med hvilke de spotted mit Folk, hovmoded sig over deres Land.

9 Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrha, the dryness of thorns, and heaps of salt, and a desert even for ever: the remnant of my people shall make a spoil of them, and the residue of my nation shall possess them.

Derfor, så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra Hærskarers HERRE, Israels Gud: Moab skal blive som Sodoma, Ammoniterne som Gomorra, Jord for Nælder, et Salthul, Ørken til evig Tid. Resten af mit Folk skal plyndre dem; hvad der levnes af mit Folk skal eje dem.

10 This shall befall them for their pride: because they have blasphemed, and have been magnified against the people of the Lord of hosts.

Dette skal times dem for deres Hovmod, fordi de hånede Hærskarers HERREs Folk og gjorde sig store over for det.

11 The Lord shall be terrible upon them, and shall consume all the gods of the earth: and they shall adore him every man from his own place, all the islands of the Gentiles.

Frygtelig er HERREN for dem; thi han udrydder alle Jordens Guder, og alle Hedningemes fjerne Strande skal tilbede ham, hver på sit Sted.

12 You Ethiopians, also shall be slain with my sword.

Også I Ætiopere skal falde for HERRENs Sværd,

13 And he will stretch out his hand upon the north, and will destroy Assyria: and he will make the beautiful city a wilderness, and as a place not passable, and as a desert.

og han udrækker Hånden mod Nord og tilintetgør Assur, Nineve gør han til Ødemark, tørt som en Ørk;

14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst thereof, all the beasts of the nations: and the bittern and the urchin shall lodge in the threshold thereof: the voice of the singing bird in the window, the raven on the upper post, for I will consume her strength.

Hjorde skal lejre sig deri, hvert Slettens Dyr; på dets Søjlehoveder sover Pelikan og Rørdrum, i Vinduet skriger Uglen, Ravnen på Tærsklen.

15 This is the glorious city that dwelt in security: that said in her heart: I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desert, a place for beasts to lie down in? every one that passeth by her, shall hiss, and wag his hand.

Det er den jublende By, som lå så trygt, som sagde i sit Hjerte: "Jeg og ellers ingen." Hvor er den dog blevet øde, et Raststed for Dyr! Enhver, som kommer forbi den håner med Fløjt og Hånd.