Jeremiah 13:11

13:11 For,’ I say, ¹  ‘just as shorts cling tightly to a person’s body, so I bound the whole nation of Israel and the whole nation of Judah ²  tightly ³  to me.’ I intended for them to be my special people and to bring me fame, honor, and praise. ⁴  But they would not obey me.

Jeremiah 31:4

31:4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel, ⁵ 

so that you will once again be built up.

Once again you will take up the tambourine

and join in the happy throng of dancers. ⁶ 

Psalms 126:2-3

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ⁷ 

At that time the nations said, ⁸ 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

126:3 The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.

We were happy.

Isaiah 62:2-3

62:2 Nations will see your vindication,

and all kings your splendor.

You will be called by a new name

that the Lord himself will give you. ⁹ 

62:3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,

a royal turban in the hand of your God.

Isaiah 62:7

62:7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, ¹⁰ 

until he makes Jerusalem the pride ¹¹  of the earth.

Isaiah 62:12

62:12 They will be called, “The Holy People,

the Ones Protected ¹²  by the Lord.”

You will be called, “Sought After,

City Not Abandoned.”

Zephaniah 3:17-20

3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst;

he is a warrior who can deliver.

He takes great delight in you; ¹³ 

he renews you by his love; ¹⁴ 

he shouts for joy over you.” ¹⁵ 

3:18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals –

I took them away from you;

they became tribute and were a source of shame to you. ¹⁶ 

3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.

I will rescue the lame sheep ¹⁷ 

and gather together the scattered sheep.

I will take away their humiliation

and make the whole earth admire and respect them. ¹⁸ 

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ¹⁹ 

Be sure of this! ²⁰  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ²¹ 

when you see me restore you,” ²²  says the Lord.

Zechariah 8:20-23

8:20 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘It will someday come to pass that people – residents of many cities – will come. 8:21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, “Let’s go up at once to ask the favor of the Lord, to seek the Lord who rules over all. Indeed, I’ll go with you.”’ 8:22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord who rules over all and to ask his favor. 8:23 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of – indeed, grab – the robe of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” ²³ 

[13:11]  ¹ tn The words “I say” are “Oracle of the Lord” in Hebrew, and are located at the end of this statement in the Hebrew text rather than the beginning. However, they are rendered in the first person and placed at the beginning for smoother English style.

[13:11]  ² tn Heb “all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah.”

[13:11]  ³ tn It would be somewhat unnatural in English to render the play on the word translated here “cling tightly” and “bound tightly” in a literal way. They are from the same root word in Hebrew (דָּבַק, davaq), a word that emphasizes the closest of personal relationships and the loyalty connected with them. It is used, for example, of the relationship of a husband and a wife and the loyalty expected of them (cf. Gen 2:24; for other similar uses see Ruth 1:14; 2 Sam 20:2; Deut 11:22).

[13:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “I bound them…in order that they might be to me for a people and for a name and for praise and for honor.” The sentence has been separated from the preceding and an equivalent idea expressed which is more in keeping with contemporary English style.

[31:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “Virgin Israel.”

[31:4]  ⁶ sn Contrast Jer 7:34 and 25:10.

[126:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

[126:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

[62:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”

[62:7]  ¹⁰ tn “Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; note the following line.

[62:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[the object of] praise.”

[62:12]  ¹² tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).

[3:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “he rejoices over you with joy.”

[3:17]  ¹⁴ tc The MT reads, “he is silent in his love,” but this makes no sense in light of the immediately preceding and following lines. Some take the Hiphil verb form as causative (see Job 11:3) rather than intransitive and translate, “he causes [you] to be silent by his love,” that is, “he soothes [you] by his love.” The present translation follows the LXX and assumes an original reading יְחַדֵּשׁ (yÿkhaddesh, “he renews”) with ellipsis of the object (“you”).

[3:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he rejoices over you with a shout of joy.”

[3:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “The ones grieving from an assembly I gathered from you they were, tribute upon her, a reproach.” Any translation of this difficult verse must be provisional at best. The present translation assumes three things: (1) The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “assembly” is causal (the individuals are sorrowing because of the assemblies or festivals they are no longer able to hold). (2) מַשְׂאֵת (mas’et) means “tribute” and refers to the exiled people being treated as the spoils of warfare (see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 385-86). (3) The third feminine singular suffix refers to personified Jerusalem, which is addressed earlier in the verse (the pronominal suffix in “from you” is second feminine singular). For other interpretive options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 146.

[3:19]  ¹⁷ 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.

[3:19]  ¹⁸ 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.

[3:20]  ¹⁹ tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.

[3:20]  ²⁰ tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  ²¹ 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.”

[3:20]  ²² tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.

[8:23]  ²³ sn This scene of universal and overwhelming attraction of the nations to Israel’s God finds initial fulfillment in the establishment of the church (Acts 2:5-11) but ultimate completion in the messianic age (Isa 45:14, 24; 60:14; Zech 14:16-21).