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 ¹  will be consumed by his fiery wrath. ² 

Indeed, ³  he will bring terrifying destruction ⁴  on all who live on the earth.” ⁵ 

Zephaniah 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ⁶  all you humble people ⁷  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ⁸ 

Strive to do what is right! ⁹  Strive to be humble! ¹⁰ 

Maybe you will be protected ¹¹  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

Zephaniah 2:5

2:5 Those who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete, ¹²  are as good as dead. ¹³ 

The Lord has decreed your downfall, ¹⁴  Canaan, land of the Philistines:

“I will destroy everyone who lives there!” ¹⁵ 

Zephaniah 2:11

2:11 The Lord will terrify them, ¹⁶ 

for ¹⁷  he will weaken ¹⁸  all the gods of the earth.

All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. ¹⁹ 

Zephaniah 3:19

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

I will rescue the lame sheep ²⁰ 

and gather together the scattered sheep.

I will take away their humiliation

and make the whole earth admire and respect them. ²¹ 

Zephaniah 3:8

3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently ²²  for me,” says the Lord,

“for the day when I attack and take plunder. ²³ 

I have decided ²⁴  to gather nations together

and assemble kingdoms,

so I can pour out my fury on them –

all my raging anger.

For ²⁵  the whole earth will be consumed

by my fiery anger.

Zephaniah 3:20

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ²⁶ 

Be sure of this! ²⁷  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ²⁸ 

when you see me restore you,” ²⁹  says the Lord.

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

[1:18]  ² tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”

[1:18]  ³ tn Or “for.”

[1:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”

[1:18]  ⁵ 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).

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”

[2:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Kerethites,” a people settled alongside the Philistines in the coastal areas of southern Palestine (cf. 1 Sam 30:14; Ezek 25:16). They originally came from the island of Crete.

[2:5]  ¹² tn Heb “Woe, inhabitants of the coast of the sea, nation of Kerethites.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “ah, woe”), is used to mourn the dead and express outwardly one’s sorrow (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5). By using it here the prophet mourns in advance the downfall of the Philistines, thereby emphasizing the certainty of their demise (“as good as dead”). Some argue the word does not have its earlier connotation here and is simply an attention-getting interjection, equivalent to “Hey!”

[2:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is against you.”

[2:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I will destroy you so there is no inhabitant [remaining].”

[2:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”

[2:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “certainly.”

[2:11]  ¹⁸ 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.”

[2:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”

[3:19]  ²¹ 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]  ²² 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.

[3:8]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Heb “for my decision is.”

[3:8]  ²⁹ tn Or “certainly.”

[3:20]  ³¹ tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.

[3:20]  ³² tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  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.”

[3:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.