^y“Just are you, ^zO Holy One, ^awho is and who was,

for you brought these judgments.

6  For ^bthey have shed the blood of ^csaints and prophets,

and ^dyou have given them blood to drink.

It is what they deserve!”

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,

^ftrue and just are your judgments!”

2  “Who is this that ^rdarkens counsel by words ^swithout knowledge?

3  ^tDress for action¹ like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.

4  “Where were you when I ^ulaid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

5  Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

6  On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

7  when the morning stars ^vsang together

and all ^wthe sons of God ^xshouted for joy?

8  “Or who ^yshut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb,

9  when I made clouds its garment

and ^zthick darkness its swaddling band,

10  and prescribed ^alimits for it

and set bars and doors,

11  and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your ^bproud waves be stayed’?

12  “Have you ^ccommanded the morning since your days began,

and caused the dawn to know its place,

13  that it might take hold of ^dthe skirts of the earth,

and the wicked be ^eshaken out of it?

14  It is changed like clay under the seal,

and its features stand out like a garment.

15  From the wicked their ^flight is withheld,

and ^gtheir uplifted arm is broken.

16  “Have you ^hentered into the springs of the sea,

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17  Have ⁱthe gates of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of ^jdeep darkness?

18  Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

Declare, if you know all this.

19  “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

and where is the place of darkness,

20  that you may take it to its territory

and that you may discern ^kthe paths to its home?

21  You know, for ^lyou were born then,

and the number of your days is great!

2  ^c“I will utterly sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

3  “I will sweep away ^dman and beast;

I will sweep away the birds of the heavens

and ^dthe fish of the sea,

and ^ethe rubble¹ with the wicked.

I will ^fcut off mankind

from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

4  “I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

^gand I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal

and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,

5  ^hthose who bow down on the roofs

to the host of the heavens,

ⁱthose who bow down and swear to the Lord

and yet swear by ^jMilcom,²

6  ^kthose who have turned back from following the Lord,

^lwho do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

7  ^mBe silent before the Lord God!

For ⁿthe day of the Lord is near;

^othe Lord has prepared a sacrifice

and ^pconsecrated his guests.

8  And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—

^q“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and ^rall who array themselves in foreign attire.

9  On that day I will punish

everyone ^swho leaps over the threshold,

and those who fill their master’s³ house

with violence and fraud.

10  “On that day,” declares the Lord,

“a cry will be heard from ^tthe Fish Gate,

^ua wail from ^vthe Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills.

11  ^wWail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!

For all the traders⁴ are no more;

all who weigh out silver are cut off.

12  At that time ^xI will search Jerusalem with lamps,

and I will punish the men

^ywho are complacent,⁵

^zthose who say in their hearts,

‘The Lord will not do good,

nor will he do ill.’

13  Their goods shall be ^aplundered,

and their houses laid waste.

^bThough they build houses,

they shall not inhabit them;

^cthough they plant vineyards,

they shall not drink wine from them.”

14  ^dThe great day of the Lord is near,

near and hastening fast;

the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;

^ethe mighty man cries aloud there.

15  ^fA day of wrath is that day,

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of ^gruin and devastation,

^ha day of darkness and gloom,

^ha day of clouds and thick darkness,

16  ⁱa day of trumpet blast and battle cry

^jagainst the fortified cities

and against the lofty battlements.

17  ^kI will bring distress on mankind,

so that they shall walk ^llike the blind,

because they have sinned against the Lord;

^mtheir blood shall be poured out like dust,

and their flesh ⁿlike dung.

18  ^oNeither their silver nor their gold

shall be able to deliver them

on the day of the wrath of the Lord.

^pIn the fire of his jealousy,

^qall the earth shall be consumed;

^rfor a full and sudden end

he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

1  Gather together, yes, gather,

O ^sshameless nation,

2  ^tbefore the decree takes effect⁶

—before the day passes away ^ulike chaff—

^vbefore there comes upon you

the burning anger of the Lord,

before there comes upon you

the day of the anger of the Lord.

3  ^wSeek the Lord, ^xall you humble of the land,

who do his just commands;⁷

^yseek righteousness; seek humility;

^yperhaps ^zyou may be hidden

on the day of the anger of the Lord.

4  ^aFor Gaza shall be deserted,

and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;

Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon,

and Ekron shall be uprooted.

5  Woe to ^byou inhabitants of the seacoast,

you nation of ^cthe Cherethites!

^dThe word of the Lord is against you,

^eO Canaan, land of the Philistines;

and I will destroy you ^funtil no inhabitant is left.

6  ^gAnd you, O seacoast, ^hshall be pastures,

with meadows⁸ for shepherds

and folds for flocks.

7  ⁱThe seacoast shall become the possession

of ^jthe remnant of the house of Judah,

^hon which they shall graze,

and in the houses of Ashkelon

they shall lie down at evening.

For the Lord their God ^kwill be mindful of them

and ^lrestore their fortunes.

8  “I have heard ^mthe taunts of Moab

and ⁿthe revilings of the Ammonites,

how they have taunted my people

and made boasts ^oagainst their territory.

9  Therefore, ^pas I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,

the God of Israel,

“Moab shall become ^qlike Sodom,

and the Ammonites ^qlike Gomorrah,

a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,

and a waste forever.

The remnant of my people shall plunder them,

and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”

10  This shall be their lot in return ^rfor their pride,

because they taunted and boasted

against the people of the Lord of hosts.

11  The Lord will be awesome against them;

^sfor he will famish all the gods of the earth,

and ^tto him shall bow down,

each in its place,

all ^uthe lands of the nations.

12  ^vYou also, O Cushites,

shall be slain by my sword.

13  And he will stretch out his hand against the north

^wand destroy Assyria,

and he ^xwill make Nineveh a desolation,

a dry waste like the desert.

14  ^yHerds shall lie down in her midst,

all kinds of beasts;⁹

^zeven the owl and the hedgehog¹⁰

shall lodge in her capitals;

a voice shall hoot in the window;

devastation will be on the threshold;

for ^aher cedar work will be laid bare.

15  This is the exultant city

^bthat lived securely,

that said in her heart,

“I am, and there is no one else.”

What a desolation she has become,

^ca lair for wild beasts!

^dEveryone who passes by her

hisses and ^eshakes his fist.