149:6 May they praise God
while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, 4
149:7 in order to take 5 revenge on the nations,
and punish foreigners.
149:8 They bind 6 their kings in chains,
and their nobles in iron shackles,
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 7 have been sentenced. 8
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 9
Praise the Lord!
3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.
I will rescue the lame sheep 11
and gather together the scattered sheep.
I will take away their humiliation
and make the whole earth admire and respect them. 12
3:20 At that time I will lead you –
at the time I gather you together. 13
Be sure of this! 14 I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you 15
when you see me restore you,” 16 says the Lord.
3:1 The filthy, 17 stained city is as good as dead;
the city filled with oppressors is finished! 18
1:7 Be silent before the Lord God, 19
for the Lord’s day of judgment 20 is almost here. 21
The Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal; 22
he has ritually purified 23 his guests.
1 tn Heb “so that.” Verses 18-19 are one sentence in the Hebrew text, but the translation divides it into three sentences for stylistic reasons. The first clause in verse 19 gives a result of the preceding clause. When Israel keeps God’s law, God will bless them with fame and honor (cf. NAB “he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory”; NLT “And if you do, he will make you greater than any other nation”).
2 tn Heb “for praise and for a name and for glory.”
3 tn Heb “and to be.” A new sentence was started here for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
5 tn Heb “to do.”
6 tn Heb “to bind.”
7 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
9 tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).
10 tn Heb “And it [the city] will be to me for a name for joy and for praise and for honor before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good things which I will do for them and which will be in awe and tremble for all the good things and all the peace [or prosperity] which I will do for them.” The long complex Hebrew sentence has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style.
11 tn The word “sheep” is supplied for clarification. As in Mic 4:6-7, the exiles are here pictured as injured and scattered sheep whom the divine shepherd rescues from danger.
12 tn Heb “I will make them into praise and a name, in all the earth, their shame.” The present translation assumes that “their shame” specifies “them” and that “name” stands here for a good reputation.
13 tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.
14 tn Or “for.”
15 tn Heb “I will make you into a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth.” Here the word “name” carries the nuance of “good reputation.”
16 tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.
17 tn The present translation assumes מֹרְאָה (mor’ah) is derived from רֹאִי (ro’i,“excrement”; see Jastrow 1436 s.v. רֳאִי). The following participle, “stained,” supports this interpretation (cf. NEB “filthy and foul”; NRSV “soiled, defiled”). Another option is to derive the form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”); in this case the term should be translated “rebellious” (cf. NASB, NIV “rebellious and defiled”). This idea is supported by v. 2. For discussion of the two options, see HALOT 630 s.v. I מרא and J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 206.
18 tn Heb “Woe, soiled and stained one, oppressive city.” The verb “is finished” is supplied in the second line. On the Hebrew word הוֹי (hoy, “ah, woe”), see the note on the word “dead” in 2:5.
19 tn Heb “Lord
20 tn Heb “the day of the
21 tn Or “near.”
22 tn Heb “a sacrifice.” This same word also occurs in the following verse.
23 tn Or “consecrated” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).