Zephaniah 2:11

2:11 The Lord will terrify them, ¹ 

for ²  he will weaken ³  all the gods of the earth.

All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. ⁴ 

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 ⁵  will be consumed by his fiery wrath. ⁶ 

Indeed, ⁷  he will bring terrifying destruction ⁸  on all who live on the earth.” ⁹ 

Zephaniah 2:15

2:15 This is how the once-proud city will end up ¹⁰  –

the city that was so secure. ¹¹ 

She thought to herself, ¹²  “I am unique! No one can compare to me!” ¹³ 

What a heap of ruins she has become, a place where wild animals live!

Everyone who passes by her taunts her ¹⁴  and shakes his fist. ¹⁵ 

Zephaniah 3:8

3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently ¹⁶  for me,” says the Lord,

“for the day when I attack and take plunder. ¹⁷ 

I have decided ¹⁸  to gather nations together

and assemble kingdoms,

so I can pour out my fury on them –

all my raging anger.

For ¹⁹  the whole earth will be consumed

by my fiery anger.

[2:11]  ¹ tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”

[2:11]  ² tn Or “certainly.”

[2:11]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”

[1:18]  ⁵ tn Or “land” (cf. NEB). This same word also occurs at the end of the present verse.

[1:18]  ⁶ tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”

[1:18]  ⁷ tn Or “for.”

[1:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”

[1:18]  ⁹ 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).

[2:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “this is the proud city.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the one that lived securely.”

[2:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”

[2:15]  ¹² tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.”

[2:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “hisses”; or “whistles.”

[2:15]  ¹⁴ sn Hissing (or whistling) and shaking the fist were apparently ways of taunting a defeated foe or an object of derision in the culture of the time.

[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.”