5:25 So the Lord is furious 1 with his people;
he lifts 2 his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake,
and corpses lie like manure 3 in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 4
3:6 “I destroyed 5 nations;
their walled cities 6 are in ruins.
I turned their streets into ruins;
no one passes through them.
Their cities are desolate; 7
no one lives there. 8
3:7 I thought, 9 ‘Certainly you will respect 10 me!
Now you will accept correction!’
If she had done so, her home 11 would not be destroyed 12
by all the punishments I have threatened. 13
But they eagerly sinned
in everything they did. 14
3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently 15 for me,” says the Lord,
“for the day when I attack and take plunder. 16
I have decided 17 to gather nations together
and assemble kingdoms,
so I can pour out my fury on them –
all my raging anger.
For 18 the whole earth will be consumed
by my fiery anger.
1 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord rages.”
2 tn Or “extends”; KJV, ASV “he hath stretched forth.”
3 tn Or “garbage” (NCV, CEV, NLT); NAB, NASB, NIV “refuse.”
4 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.”
5 tn Heb “cut off.”
6 tn Heb “corner towers”; NEB, NRSV “battlements.”
7 tn This Hebrew verb (צָדָה, tsadah) occurs only here in the OT, but its meaning is established from the context and from an Aramaic cognate.
8 tn Heb “so that there is no man, without inhabitant.”
9 tn Heb “said.”
10 tn Or “fear.” The second person verb form (“you will respect”) is feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed.
11 tn Or “dwelling place.”
12 tn Heb “cut off.”
13 tn Heb “all which I have punished her.” The precise meaning of this statement and its relationship to what precedes are unclear.
14 tn Heb “But they got up early, they made corrupt all their actions.” The phrase “they got up early” probably refers to their eagerness to engage in sinful activities.
15 tn The second person verb form (“you must wait patiently”) is masculine plural, indicating that a group is being addressed. Perhaps the humble individuals addressed earlier (see 2:3) are in view. Because of Jerusalem’s sin, they must patiently wait for judgment to pass before their vindication arrives.
16 tn Heb “when I arise for plunder.” The present translation takes עַד (’ad) as “plunder.” Some, following the LXX, repoint the term עֵד (’ed) and translate, “as a witness” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV). In this case the Lord uses a legal metaphor to picture himself as testifying against his enemies. Adele Berlin takes לְעַד (lÿ’ad) in a temporal sense (“forever”) and translates “once and for all” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 133).
17 tn Heb “for my decision is.”
18 tn Or “certainly.”