24:17 After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. 1 The king listened to their advice. 2
36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right. 3
125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, 4
may the Lord remove them, 5 along with those who behave wickedly! 6
May Israel experience peace! 7
18:24 “But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. 10
1:6 and those who turn their backs on 11 the Lord
and do not want the Lord’s help or guidance.” 12
1:2 “I will destroy 13 everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
2:1 Bunch yourselves together like straw, 14 you undesirable 15 nation,
1 tn Heb “came and bowed down to the king.”
2 tn Heb “to them.”
3 tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
4 tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.
5 tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the
6 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”
7 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).
8 tn The presence of the independent pronoun in the Hebrew text is intended to contrast their actions with those of their ancestors.
9 sn This refers to the temple. See Jer 7:10, 11, 14, 30 and see the translator’s note on 7:10 and the study note on 10:25 for the explanation of the idiom involved here.
10 tn Heb “because of them he will die.”
11 tn Heb “turn back from [following] after.”
12 tn Heb “who do not seek the
13 tn The Hebrew text combines the infinitive absolute of אָסַף (’asaf, “gather up, sweep away”) with a Hiphil prefixed first person form of סוּף (suf, “come to an end”; see Jer 8:13 for the same combination). This can be translated literally, “Sweeping away, I will bring to an end.” Some prefer to emend the text so that the infinitive and finite form of the verb are from the same root (“I will certainly sweep away,” if from אָסַף [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV]; “I will certainly bring to an end,” if from סוּף). For a discussion of proposals see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, 169.
14 tn The Hebrew text combines a Hitpolel imperative of קָשַׁשׁ (qashash) with a Qal imperative of the same root. Elsewhere this root appears in the polel stem with the meaning “gather stubble.” Zephaniah’s command is ironic, implying the people are like stubble or straw. As such, they are vulnerable to the Lord’s fiery judgment that will quickly consume them (see 1:18). See Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 96.
15 tn Some relate this word to an Aramaic cognate meaning “to be ashamed.” With the negative particle it would then mean “unashamed” (cf. NIV “shameful”; NRSV “shameless”). However, elsewhere in biblical Hebrew the verb means “to desire,” or with the negative particle “undesirable.” Cf. also NEB “unruly.”