Zephaniah 2

Bishops^{(i) 1} Gather your selues, eue gather you, O nation not worthy to be loued ² Before the decree go foorth that God hath concluded [and ye be] as chaffe that passeth in a day, & before the fearfull wrath of the Lorde come vpon you, & before the day of the Lordes sore displeasure come vpon you ³ Seke the Lorde all ye meeke hearted vpon earth, ye that worke after his iudgement: seke righteousnesse, seke lowlinesse, that ye may be defended in the wrothfull day of the Lorde ⁴ For Gaza shalbe destroyed, and Ascalon shalbe layde waste, they shall cast out Asdod at the noone day, and Accaron shalbe rooted vp ⁵ Wo vnto you that dwell vpon the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethims: the worde of the Lord shal come vpon you O Chanaan thou lande of the Philistines, I will destroy thee, so that there shall no man dwell in thee any more ⁶ And as for the sea coast, it shalbe heardmens cotages, and sheepefoldes ⁷ Yea it shalbe a portion for such as remayne of the house of Iuda, to feede therevpon, in the houses of Ascalon shal they rest towarde night: for the Lorde their God shall visite them, and turne away their captiuitie ⁸ I haue heard the despite of Moab, and the blasphemies of the children of Ammon, how they haue shamefully intreated my people, & magnified them selues within the borders of their lande ⁹ Therefore as I liue, sayth the Lord of hoastes the God of Israel, Moab shalbe as Sodoma, & Ammon as Gomorra, euen the breeding of nettles, and salt pittes, & a perpetuall wildernesse: The residue of my folke shal spoyle them, the remnaunt of my people shall haue them in possession ¹⁰ This shall happen vnto them for their pryde, because they haue dealt so shamefully with the Lorde of hoastes people, and magnified them selues aboue them ¹¹ The Lord shalbe terrible vnto them, and destroy all the gods in the lande: and all the Iles of the Heathen shall worship hym, euery man in his place ¹² Ye Morians also shall perishe with my sworde ¹³ Yea he shall stretch out his hande ouer the north, and destroy Assur: As for Niniue he shall make it desolate, drye, and waste ¹⁴ The flockes and all the beastes of the people shall lye in the middest of it, pellicanes and owles shal abide in the vpper postes of it, foules shall sing in the wyndowes, and desolation shalbe vpon the postes, for the Cedars are vncouered ¹⁵ This is the proude and carelesse citie that sayd in her heart, I am, and there is els none besides me: O howe is she made so wast that the beastes lie in her? Who so goeth by, mocketh her, & poynteth at her with his finger