Zephaniah 2 - 3 - Legacy Standard Bible

Zephaniah 2 - 3

Seek Yahweh Before His Day of Anger

Gather yourselves together, indeed, gather,

O nation without shame,

Before the decree takes effect—

The day passes like the chaff—

Before the burning anger of Yahweh comes upon you,

Before the day of Yahweh’s anger comes upon you.

Seek Yahweh,

All you humble of the earth

Who have worked His justice;

Seek righteousness, seek humility.

Perhaps you will be hidden

In the day of Yahweh’s anger.

For Gaza will be forsaken

And Ashkelon a desolation;

Ashdod will be driven out at noon,

And Ekron will be uprooted.

Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,

The nation of the Cherethites!

The word of Yahweh is against you,

O Canaan, land of the Philistines;

And I will make you perish

So that there will be no inhabitant.

So the seacoast will be pastures,

With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.

And the coast will be

For the remnant of the house of Judah;

They will feed upon it.

In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;

For Yahweh their God will care for them

And restore their fortune.

“I have heard the reproach of Moab

And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,

With which they have reproached My people

And magnified themselves against their territory.

Therefore, as I live,” declares Yahweh of hosts,

The God of Israel,

“Surely Moab will be like Sodom

And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—

A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,

And a perpetual desolation.

The remnant of My people will plunder them,

And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10 This they will have in return for their pride because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh of hosts. 11 Yahweh will be fearsome to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place. 12

“You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”

And He will stretch out His hand against the north

And cause Assyria to perish,

And He will make Nineveh a desolation,

Parched like the wilderness.

Flocks will lie down in her midst,

All the beasts of the nation;

Both the pelican and the hedgehog

Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;

Their voice will sing in the window,

Ruin will be on the threshold;

For He has laid bare the cedar work.

This is the exultant city

Which inhabits securely,

Who says in her heart,

“I am, and there is no one besides me.”

How she has become an object of horror,

A resting place for beasts!

Everyone who passes by her will hiss

And wave his hand in contempt.

The Unjust Knows No Shame

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,

The oppressive city!

She did not listen to any voice;

She did not receive discipline.

She did not trust in Yahweh;

She did not draw near to her God.

Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;

Her judges are wolves at evening;

They leave nothing to gnaw for the morning.

Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;

Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.

They have done violence to the law.

Yahweh is righteous in her midst;

He will do no injustice.

Every morning He brings His justice to light;

He does not fail.

But the unjust knows no shame.

“I have cut off nations;

Their corner towers are desolate.

I have made their streets a waste,

With no one passing by;

Their cities are laid waste,

Without a man, without an inhabitant.

I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,

Receive discipline.’

So her abode will not be cut off

According to all that I have appointed concerning her.

But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

Yahweh Will Pour Out His Anger

“Therefore wait for Me,” declares Yahweh,

“For the day when I rise up as a witness.

Indeed, My judgment is to assemble nations,

To gather kingdoms,

To pour out on them My indignation,

All My burning anger;

For all the earth will be devoured

By the fire of My zeal.

For then I will change them to peoples with purified lips,

That all of them may call on the name of Yahweh,

To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

My worshipers, My scattered ones,

Will bring My offerings.

In that day you will feel no shame

Because of all your deeds

By which you have transgressed against Me;

For then I will remove from your midst

Your proud, exulting ones,

And you will never again be haughty

On My holy mountain.

But I will cause to remain in your midst

A lowly and poor people,

And they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.

The remnant of Israel will do no injustice

And not speak falsehood,

Nor will a deceitful tongue

Be found in their mouths;

For they will feed and lie down

With no one to make them tremble.”

Yahweh’s Joy in Restoring Israel

Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion!

Make a loud shout, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

Yahweh has taken away His judgments against you;

He has cleared away your enemies.

The King of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst;

You will fear evil no more.

In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear, O Zion;

Do not let your hands fall limp.

Yahweh your God is in your midst,

A mighty one who will save.

He will be joyful over you with gladness;

He will be quiet in His love;

He will rejoice over you with joyful singing.

I will assemble those who grieve about the appointed feasts—

They were from you, O Zion;

The reproach of exile is a burden on them.

Behold, I am going to deal at that time

With all those who afflict you,

And I will save the lame

And gather the banished,

And I will turn them—in their shame—into praise and a name

In all the earth.

At that time I will bring you in,

Even at the time when I gather you together;

Indeed, I will give you to be a name and praise

Among all the peoples of the earth,

When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”

Says Yahweh.

Acts 20 - 21

Through Macedonia and Greece

Now after the uproar had ceased, Paul having summoned and exhorted the disciples, said farewell and left to go to Macedonia. 2 And when he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece. 3 And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. 5 But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. 6 And we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days; and there we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead in Troas

7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began speaking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. 8 Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. 9 And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep. And as Paul kept on talking, he sunk into that sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” 11 And when he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12 And they took away the boy alive, and were not a little comforted.

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

13 But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. 17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. 25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. 27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified. 33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to those who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And they began to weep aloud and falling on Paul’s neck, they were kissing him, 38 being in agony especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.

Paul Sets Out for Jerusalem

Now when we had parted from them and had set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 And when we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 And after looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 And when our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6 Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again. 7 And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brothers, we stayed with them for a day. 8 And on the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. 10 And as we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 And when we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, crying and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, saying, “The will of the Lord be done!” 15 Now after these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple with whom we were to lodge.

In Jerusalem

17 And after we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 And after he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God did among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should keep from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Is Arrested

27 Now when the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon noticing him in the temple, began to throw all the crowd into confusion and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches to everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was stirred, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 At once he took along soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 And when he got to the stairs, he actually was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd; 36 for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!”

Paul’s Defense Before the Jews

37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he *said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago raised a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

Psalm 91

In the Shadow of the Almighty

He who abides in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to Yahweh, “My refuge and my fortress,

My God, in whom I trust!”

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper

And from the destructive pestilence.

He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you will take refuge;

His truth is a large shield and bulwark.

You will not be afraid of terror by night,

Or arrow that flies by day;

Of pestilence that moves in darkness,

Or of destruction that devastates at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side

And ten thousand at your right hand,

But it shall not approach you.

You will only look on with your eyes

And see the recompense of the wicked.

For you have made Yahweh—my refuge,

The Most High—your dwelling place.

No evil will befall you,

And no plague will come near your tent.

For He will command His angels concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

Lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the fierce lion and cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will protect him;

I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in his distress;

I will rescue him and honor him.

With a long life I will satisfy him

And I will show him My salvation.”