< Zephaniah 2 >
1 Come together, yes, gather together, you worthless nation—
Come ye togidere, be gaderid, ye folc not worthi to be loued,
2 before the decree is issued, before you wither and die like a flower, before the burning anger of the Lord falls on you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes on you.
bifore that comaundyng brynge forth as dust passyng dai; bifore that wraththe of strong veniaunce of the Lord come on you, bifor that the dai of his indignacioun come on you.
3 Look to the Lord, all you people of the land who are humble and who follow his commands. Look to do what is right; look to live in humility. Perhaps you will be protected on the day of the Lord's anger.
Alle myelde men of erthe, seke ye the Lord, whiche han wrouyt the doom of hym; seke ye the iust, seke ye the mylde, if ony maner ye be hid in the dai of strong veniaunce of the Lord.
4 Gaza will be abandoned, Ashkelon will become desolate, Ashdod will be emptied by noon, Ekron will be ripped up.
For Gasa schal be distried, and Ascalon schal be in to desert; thei schulen caste out Azotus in myddai, and Accaron schal be drawun out bi the root.
5 What disaster is coming to you Philistines, you sea-people who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan! The Lord has passed judgment on you. I will destroy you—there will be no survivors.
Wo to you that dwellen in the litil part of the see, a folc of loste men. The word of the Lord on you, Canaan, the lond of Filisteis, and Y schal distrie thee, so that a dwellere be not;
6 Your seacoast will become pastures, with meadows for shepherds and sheep pens for flocks.
and the litil part of the see schal be reste of scheepherdis, and foldis of scheep.
7 It will belong to those who remain of the people of Judah. They will graze their flocks there, and the shepherds will sleep in the abandoned houses of Ashkelon. For the Lord their God will be with them and make them prosperous again.
And it schal be a litil part of hym, that schal be left of the hous of Juda, there thei schulen be fed in the housis of Ascalon; at euentid thei schulen reste, for the Lord God of hem schal visite hem, and schal turne awei the caitifte of hem.
8 I have heard the mocking taunts of the Moabites and the scornful derision of the Ammonites who have insulted my people and made threats against their territory.
Y herde the schenschip of Moab, and blasfemyes of sones of Amon, whiche thei seiden schentfuli to my puple, and thei weren magnefied on the termes of hem.
9 Consequently, as I live, declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, the Moabites will become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah. Their land will become a place of weeds and salt pits and ruins forever. Those who remain of my people will plunder them and occupy their land.
Therfor Y lyue, seith the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, for Moab schal be as Sodom, and the sones of Amon as Gomorre; drynesse of thornes, and hepis of salt, and desert, til in to withouten ende. The relifs of my puple schulen rauysche hem, the residues of my folc schulen welde hem.
10 This is what they will receive for their pride because they mocked and threatened the people of the Lord Almighty.
Sotheli this thing schal come to hem for her pride, for thei blasfemeden, and weren magnefied on the puple of the Lord of oostis.
11 The Lord will make them terribly afraid as he starves to death all the gods of the land. Every nation will worship the Lord wherever they are—all around the world.
The Lord schal be orible on hem, and he schal make feble alle goddis of erthe; and men of her place schulen worschipe hym, alle the ilis of hethene men.
12 You Ethiopians will be killed by the sword.
But and ye, Ethiopiens, schulen be slayn bi my swerd.
13 The Lord will strike the Assyrians in the north and destroy them. He will make Nineveh desolate, a dry wasteland like the desert.
And he schal stretche forth his hond on the north, and schal leese Assur; and he schal putte the feir citee Nynyue in to wildirnesse, and into with out weie, and as desert.
14 Herds will lie down in the middle of the city. It will become the home for every kind of wild animal. Eagle owls and screech owls will roost on its columns. Their calls will echo through the windows. Rubble will block the doors, and the cedar woodwork will be exposed.
And flockis, and alle the beestis of folkis, schulen ligge in the myddil therof; and onacratalus, and irchun schulen dwelle in threshfoldis therof; vois of the syngynge in wyndow, and crow in the lyntil, for Y schal make thinne the strengthe therof.
15 This is what will happen to this triumphant city that thought it was so secure. “Look at me!” it said proudly to itself. “There is no city as great as me!” But it has become a desolate place—just a home for wild animals. Everyone who passes by will point their finger and laugh in derision.
This is the gloriouse citee dwellynge in trist, which seide in hir herte, Y am, and ther is noon other more withouten me. Hou is it maad vnto desert, a couche of beeste; ech man that schal passe bi it, schal hisse, and schal moue his hond.