Zephaniah 1:8-9

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

I will punish the princes ¹  and the king’s sons,

and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. ² 

1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, ³ 

who fill the house of their master ⁴  with wealth taken by violence and deceit. 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 3:9

3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable

the nations to give me acceptable praise. ¹² 

All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray, ¹³ 

and will worship him in unison. ¹⁴ 

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

[1:8]  ² sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.

[1:9]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.

[1:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “Certainly [or perhaps, “For”] then I will restore to the nations a pure lip.”

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”

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