Therefore, [as] I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall certainly be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and salt-pits, and a perpetual desolation; the remnant of my people shall spoil them, and the residue of my nation shall possess them.
Zephaniah 2:7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for Jehovah their God shall visit them, and turn again their captivity.
Zephaniah 2:8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
Zephaniah 2:9 Therefore, [as] I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall certainly be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and salt-pits, and a perpetual desolation; the remnant of my people shall spoil them, and the residue of my nation shall possess them.
Zephaniah 2:10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
Zephaniah 2:11 Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and all the isles of the nations shall worship him, every one from his place.
The verse centers on "therefore", "live", "saith", "jehovah", "hosts", "israel", "moab", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "live", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 8's "I have heard the reproach of Moab..." into verse 10's "This shall they have for their pride...", so "therefore" and "live" belong inside that flow. In Zephaniah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "live" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.