Scriptures

New King James Version (NKJV)

Zephaniah 2
¹³ And He will stretch out His hand against the north, Destroy Assyria, And make Nineveh a desolation, As dry as the wilderness.
¹⁴ The herds shall lie down in her midst, Every beast of the nation. Both the pelican and the bittern Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars; Their voice shall sing in the windows; Desolation shall be at the threshold; For He will lay bare the cedar work.
¹⁵ This is the rejoicing city That dwelt securely, That said in her heart, "I am it, and there is none besides me." How has she become a desolation, A place for beasts to lie down! Everyone who passes by her Shall hiss and shake his fist.
Zephaniah 3
¹ Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, To the oppressing city!
² She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God.
³ Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.
⁴ Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have done violence to the law.
⁵ The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.
⁶ "I have cut off nations, Their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, With none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; There is no one, no inhabitant.
⁷ I said, ’Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction’-- So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
⁸ "Therefore wait for Me," says the Lord, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All my fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.