2:13 The Lord 1 will attack the north 2
and destroy Assyria.
He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;
it will be as barren 3 as the desert.
3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.
I will rescue the lame sheep 4
and gather together the scattered sheep.
I will take away their humiliation
and make the whole earth admire and respect them. 5
1:6 and those who turn their backs on 6 the Lord
and do not want the Lord’s help or guidance.” 7
1:3 “I will destroy people and animals;
I will destroy the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea.
(The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.) 8
I will remove 9 humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
1:4 “I will attack 10 Judah
and all who live in Jerusalem. 11
I will remove 12 from this place every trace of Baal worship, 13
as well as the very memory 14 of the pagan priests. 15
1:13 Their wealth will be stolen
and their houses ruined!
They will not live in the houses they have built,
nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they have planted.
2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, 16 all you humble people 17 of the land who have obeyed his commands! 18
Strive to do what is right! 19 Strive to be humble! 20
Maybe you will be protected 21 on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.
2:8 “I have heard Moab’s taunts
and the Ammonites’ insults.
They 22 taunted my people
and verbally harassed those living in Judah. 23
2:11 The Lord will terrify them, 24
for 25 he will weaken 26 all the gods of the earth.
All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. 27
1:12 At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.
I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin, 28
those who think to themselves, 29
‘The Lord neither rewards nor punishes.’ 30
1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them
in the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.
The whole earth 31 will be consumed by his fiery wrath. 32
Indeed, 33 he will bring terrifying destruction 34 on all who live on the earth.” 35
3:20 At that time I will lead you –
at the time I gather you together. 36
Be sure of this! 37 I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you 38
when you see me restore you,” 39 says the Lord.
1 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
2 tn Heb “he will stretch out his hand against the north.”
3 tn Or “dry.”
4 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.
5 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.
7 tn Heb “turn back from [following] after.”
8 tn Heb “who do not seek the
10 tn Heb “And the stumbling blocks [or, “ruins”] with the evil”; or “the things that make the evil stumble.” The line does not appear in the original form of the LXX; it may be a later scribal addition. The present translation assumes the “stumbling blocks” are idolatrous images of animals, birds, and fish. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, and Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB), 73-74.
11 tn Heb “cut off.”
13 tn Heb “I will stretch out my hand against,” is an idiom for hostile action.
14 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
15 tn Heb “cut off.”
16 tn Heb “the remnant of Baal.”
17 tn Heb “name.” Here the “name” is figurative for the memory of those who bear it.
18 tc Heb “of the pagan priests and priests.” The first word (כְּמָרִים, kÿmarim) refers to idolatrous priests in its two other appearances in the OT (2 Kgs 23:5, Hos 10:5), while the second word (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim) is the normal term for “priest” and is used of both legitimate and illegitimate priests in the OT. It is likely that the second term, which is omitted in the LXX, is a later scribal addition to the Hebrew text, defining the extremely rare word that precedes (see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 167-68; cf. also NEB, NRSV). Some argue that both words are original; among the modern English versions that include both are NASB and NIV. Possibly the first word refers to outright pagan priests, while the second has in view once-legitimate priests of the Lord who had drifted into idolatrous practices. Another option is found in Adele Berlin, who translates, “the idolatrous priests among the priests,” understanding the second word as giving the general category of which the idolatrous priests are a part (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 75).
16 tn Heb “seek the
17 tn Or “poor.” The precise referent of this Hebrew term is unclear. The word may refer to the economically poor or to the spiritually humble.
18 tn The present translation assumes the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) here refers to God’s covenantal requirements and is a synonym for the Law. The word can mean “justice” and could refer more specifically to the principles of justice contained in the Law. In this case the phrase could be translated, “who have promoted the justice God demands.”
19 tn Heb “Seek what is right.”
20 tn Heb “Seek humility.”
21 tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”
19 tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
20 tn Heb “and they made great [their mouth?] against their territory.” Other possible translation options include (1) “they enlarged their own territory” (cf. NEB) and (2) “they bragged about [the size] of their own territory.”
22 tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”
23 tn Or “certainly.”
24 tn The meaning of this rare Hebrew word is unclear. If the meaning is indeed “weaken,” then this line may be referring to the reduction of these gods’ territory through conquest (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 110-11). Cf. NEB “reduce to beggary”; NASB “starve”; NIV “when he destroys”; NRSV “shrivel.”
25 tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”
25 tn Heb “who thicken on their sediment.” The imagery comes from wine making, where the wine, if allowed to remain on the sediment too long, will thicken into syrup. The image suggests that the people described here were complacent in their sinful behavior and interpreted the delay in judgment as divine apathy.
26 tn Heb “who say in their hearts.”
27 tn Heb “The
28 tn Or “land” (cf. NEB). This same word also occurs at the end of the present verse.
29 tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”
30 tn Or “for.”
31 tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”
32 tn It is not certain where the
31 tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.
32 tn Or “for.”
33 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.”
34 tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.