Zephaniah 1:8

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 

Zephaniah 2:8

2:8 “I have heard Moab’s taunts

and the Ammonites’ insults.

They ³  taunted my people

and verbally harassed those living in Judah. ⁴ 

Zephaniah 2:13

2:13 The Lord ⁵  will attack the north ⁶ 

and destroy Assyria.

He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;

it will be as barren ⁷  as the desert.

[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.

[2:8]  ³ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they made great [their mouth?] against their territory.” Other possible translation options include (1) “they enlarged their own territory” (cf. NEB) and (2) “they bragged about [the size] of their own territory.”

[2:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will stretch out his hand against the north.”

[2:13]  ⁷ tn Or “dry.”