Isaiah 24:9

24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; ¹ 

the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

Ezekiel 22:2-3

22:2 “As for you, son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment, ²  are you willing to pronounce judgment on the bloody city? ³  Then confront her with all her abominable deeds! 22:3 Then say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: O city, who spills blood within herself (which brings on her doom), ⁴  and who makes herself idols (which results in impurity),

Ezekiel 24:6-9

24:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:

Woe to the city of bloodshed,

the pot whose rot ⁵  is in it,

whose rot has not been removed ⁶  from it!

Empty it piece by piece.

No lot has fallen on it. ⁷ 

24:7 For her blood was in it;

she poured it on an exposed rock;

she did not pour it on the ground to cover it up with dust.

24:8 To arouse anger, to take vengeance,

I have placed her blood on an exposed rock so that it cannot be covered up.

24:9 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:

Woe to the city of bloodshed!

I will also make the pile high.

Habakkuk 2:12

2:12 The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead ⁸  –

he who starts ⁹  a town by unjust deeds.

Zephaniah 3:1-3

Jerusalem is Corrupt

3:1 The filthy, ¹⁰  stained city is as good as dead;

the city filled with oppressors is finished! ¹¹ 

3:2 She is disobedient; ¹² 

she refuses correction. ¹³ 

She does not trust the Lord;

she does not seek the advice of ¹⁴  her God.

3:3 Her princes ¹⁵  are as fierce as roaring lions; ¹⁶ 

her rulers ¹⁷  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ¹⁸ 

who completely devour their prey by morning. ¹⁹ 

[24:9]  ¹ tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”

[22:2]  ² tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment upon the city. See 20:4.

[22:2]  ³ tn The phrase “bloody city” is used of Nineveh in Nah 3:1.

[22:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4).

[24:6]  ⁵ tn Or “rust.”

[24:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “has not gone out.”

[24:6]  ⁷ tn Here “lot” may refer to the decision made by casting lots; it is not chosen at all.

[2:12]  ⁸ tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.

[2:12]  ⁹ tn Or “establishes”; or “founds.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰ 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.

[3:1]  ¹¹ 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.

[3:2]  ¹² tn Heb “she does not hear a voice” Refusing to listen is equated with disobedience.

[3:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “she does not receive correction.” The Hebrew phrase, when negated, refers elsewhere to rejecting verbal advice (Jer 17:23; 32:33; 35:13) and refusing to learn from experience (Jer 2:30; 5:3).

[3:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “draw near to.” The present translation assumes that the expression “draw near to” refers to seeking God’s will (see 1 Sam 14:36).

[3:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “officials.”

[3:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ¹⁷ tn Traditionally “judges.”

[3:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.