Zephaniah 1:15

1:15 That day will be a day of God’s anger, ¹ 

a day of distress and hardship,

a day of devastation and ruin,

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and dark skies,

Zephaniah 1:14

1:14 The Lord’s great day of judgment ²  is almost here;

it is approaching very rapidly!

There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s day of judgment;

at that time warriors will cry out in battle. ³ 

Zephaniah 3:16

3:16 On that day they will say ⁴  to Jerusalem,

“Don’t be afraid, Zion!

Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic! ⁵ 

Zephaniah 1:16

1:16 a day of trumpet blasts ⁶  and battle cries. ⁷ 

Judgment will fall on ⁸  the fortified cities and the high corner towers.

Zephaniah 2:2

2:2 before God’s decree becomes reality ⁹  and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, ¹⁰ 

before the Lord’s raging anger ¹¹  overtakes ¹²  you –

before the day of the Lord’s angry judgment overtakes you!

Zephaniah 1:7-10

1:7 Be silent before the Lord God, ¹³ 

for the Lord’s day of judgment ¹⁴  is almost here. ¹⁵ 

The Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal; ¹⁶ 

he has ritually purified ¹⁷  his guests.

1:8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal,

I will punish the princes ¹⁸  and the king’s sons,

and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. ¹⁹ 

1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, ²⁰ 

who fill the house of their master ²¹  with wealth taken by violence and deceit. ²² 

1:10 On that day,” says the Lord,

“a loud cry will go up ²³  from the Fish Gate, ²⁴ 

wailing from the city’s newer district, ²⁵ 

and a loud crash ²⁶  from the hills.

Zephaniah 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ²⁷  all you humble people ²⁸  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ²⁹ 

Strive to do what is right! ³⁰  Strive to be humble! ³¹ 

Maybe you will be protected ³²  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

Zephaniah 1:1

Introduction

1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to ³³  Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of ³⁴  King Josiah son of Amon of Judah:

Zephaniah 1:18

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 ³⁵  will be consumed by his fiery wrath. ³⁶ 

Indeed, ³⁷  he will bring terrifying destruction ³⁸  on all who live on the earth.” ³⁹ 

Zephaniah 3:8

3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently ⁴⁰  for me,” says the Lord,

“for the day when I attack and take plunder. ⁴¹ 

I have decided ⁴²  to gather nations together

and assemble kingdoms,

so I can pour out my fury on them –

all my raging anger.

For ⁴³  the whole earth will be consumed

by my fiery anger.

Zephaniah 3:11

3:11 In that day you ⁴⁴  will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me, ⁴⁵ 

for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, ⁴⁶ 

and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill.

Zephaniah 3:5

3:5 The just Lord resides ⁴⁷  within her;

he commits no unjust acts. ⁴⁸ 

Every morning he reveals ⁴⁹  his justice.

At dawn he appears without fail. ⁵⁰ 

Yet the unjust know no shame.

Zephaniah 2:4

Judgment on Surrounding Nations

2:4 Indeed, ⁵¹  Gaza will be deserted ⁵² 

and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. ⁵³ 

Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, ⁵⁴ 

and Ekron will be overthrown. ⁵⁵ 

Zephaniah 3:14

3:14 Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! ⁵⁶ 

Shout out, Israel!

Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!

Zephaniah 3:9

3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable

the nations to give me acceptable praise. ⁵⁷ 

All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray, ⁵⁸ 

and will worship him in unison. ⁵⁹ 

Zephaniah 3:18

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. ⁶⁰ 

Zephaniah 3:20

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ⁶¹ 

Be sure of this! ⁶²  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ⁶³ 

when you see me restore you,” ⁶⁴  says the Lord.

[1:15]  ¹ tn Heb “a day of wrath.” The word “God’s” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:14]  ² tn Heb “The great day of the Lord.” The words “of judgment” are supplied in the translation here and later in this verse for clarity. See the note on the expression “day of judgment” in v. 7.

[1:14]  ³ tn Heb “the sound of the day of the Lord, bitter [is] one crying out there, a warrior.” The present translation does four things: (1) It takes מַר (mar, “bitter”) with what precedes (contrary to the accentuation of the MT). (2) It understands the participle צָרַח (tsarakh, “cry out in battle”) as verbal with “warrior” as its subject. (3) It takes שָׁם (sham, “there”) in a temporal sense, meaning “then, at that time.” (4) It understands “warrior” as collective.

[3:16]  ³ tn Heb “it will be said.” The passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “your hands must not go limp.”

[1:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “a ram’s horn.” By metonymy the Hebrew text mentions the trumpet (“ram’s horn”) in place of the sound it produces (“trumpet blasts”).

[1:16]  ⁵ sn This description of the day of the Lord consists of an initial reference to anger, followed by four pairs of synonyms. The joining of synonyms in this way emphasizes the degree of the characteristic being described. The first two pairs focus on the distress and ruin that judgment will bring; the second two pairs picture this day of judgment as being very dark (darkness) and exceedingly overcast (gloom). The description concludes with the pairing of two familiar battle sounds, the blast on the ram’s horn (trumpet blasts) and the war cries of the warriors (battle cries).

[1:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “against.” The words “judgment will fall” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “before the giving birth of a decree.” For various alternative readings, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 187-88.

[2:2]  ⁶ tn The second half of the line reads literally, “like chaff it passes by a day.” The translation above assumes the “day” is the brief time God is giving the nation to repent. The comparison of this quickly passing opportunity to chaff is consistent with the straw imagery of v. 1.

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the fury of the anger of the Lord.” The synonyms are combined to emphasize the extreme degree of the Lord’s anger.

[2:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “comes upon.” This phrase occurs twice in this verse.

[1:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “Lord Lord.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (adonai yÿhvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.”

[1:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “the day of the Lord.”

[1:7]  ⁸ tn Or “near.”

[1:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “a sacrifice.” This same word also occurs in the following verse.

[1:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “consecrated” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[1:8]  ⁷ tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”

[1:8]  ⁸ sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.

[1:9]  ⁸ sn The point of the statement all who hop over the threshold is unclear. A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5).

[1:9]  ⁹ tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.

[1:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.

[1:10]  ⁹ tn The words “will go up” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:10]  ¹⁰ sn The Fish Gate was located on Jerusalem’s north side (cf. 2 Chr 33:14; Neh 3:3; 12:39).

[1:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “from the second area.” This may refer to an area northwest of the temple where the rich lived (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 86; cf. NASB, NRSV “the Second Quarter”; NIV “the New Quarter”).

[1:10]  ¹² tn Heb “great breaking.”

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ¹¹ 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.

[2:3]  ¹² 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.”

[2:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “The word of the Lord which came to.”

[1:1]  ¹² tn Heb “in the days of.” The words “Zephaniah delivered this message” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:18]  ¹² tn Or “land” (cf. NEB). This same word also occurs at the end of the present verse.

[1:18]  ¹³ tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”

[1:18]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for.”

[1:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”

[1:18]  ¹⁶ tn It is not certain where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s words begin. It is possible that Zephaniah begins speaking in the middle of v. 17 or at the beginning of v. 18 (note the third person pronouns referring to the Lord).

[3:8]  ¹³ 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.

[3:8]  ¹⁴ 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).

[3:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for my decision is.”

[3:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or “certainly.”

[3:11]  ¹⁴ sn The second person verbs and pronouns are feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed here.

[3:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “In that day you not be ashamed because of all your actions, [in] which you rebelled against me.”

[3:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the arrogant ones of your pride.”

[3:5]  ¹⁵ tn The word “resides” is supplied for clarification.

[3:5]  ¹⁶ tn Or “he does no injustice.”

[3:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “gives”; or “dispenses.”

[3:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “at the light he is not missing.” Note that NASB (which capitalizes pronouns referring to Deity) has divided the lines differently: “Every morning He brings His justice to light; // He does not fail.”

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:4]  ¹⁷ tn There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name Gaza (עַזָּה, ’azzah) sounds like the word translated “deserted” (עֲזוּבָה, ’azuvah).

[2:4]  ¹⁸ tn Or “a desolate place.”

[2:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[As for] Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away.”

[2:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “uprooted.” There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name “Ekron” (עֶקְרוֹן, ’eqron) sounds like the word translated “uprooted” (תֵּעָקֵר, te’aqer).

[3:14]  ¹⁷ sn This phrase is used as an epithet for the city and the nation. “Daughter” may seem extraneous in English but consciously joins the various epithets and metaphors of Israel and Jerusalem as a woman, a device used to evoke sympathy from the reader.

[3:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Certainly [or perhaps, “For”] then I will restore to the nations a pure lip.”

[3:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”

[3:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “so that [they] will serve him [with] one shoulder.”

[3:18]  ¹⁹ 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.

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

[3:20]  ²¹ tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.