Zephaniah 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ¹  all you humble people ²  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ³ 

Strive to do what is right! ⁴  Strive to be humble! ⁵ 

Maybe you will be protected ⁶  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

Zephaniah 2:10

2:10 This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance, ⁷ 

for they taunted and verbally harassed ⁸  the people of the Lord who commands armies.

Zephaniah 1:8

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

I will punish the princes ⁹  and the king’s sons,

and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. ¹⁰ 

Zephaniah 2:9

2:9 Therefore, as surely as I live,” says the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel,

“be certain that Moab will become like Sodom

and the Ammonites like Gomorrah.

They will be overrun by weeds, ¹¹ 

filled with salt pits, ¹² 

and permanently desolate.

Those of my people who are left ¹³  will plunder their belongings; ¹⁴ 

those who are left in Judah ¹⁵  will take possession of their land.”

[2:3]  ¹ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”

[2:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “this is for them in place of their arrogance.”

[2:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “made great [their mouth?] against” (cf. the last phrase of v. 8).

[1:8]  ¹³ tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”

[1:8]  ¹⁴ sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.

[2:9]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text reads מִמְשַׁק חָרוּל (mimshaq kharul, “[?] of weeds”). The meaning of the first word is unknown. The present translation (“They will be overrun by weeds”) is speculative, based on the general sense of the context. For a defense of “overrun” on linguistic grounds, see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 347. Cf. NEB “a pile of weeds”; NIV “a place of weeds”; NRSV “a land possessed by nettles.”

[2:9]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew text reads וּמִכְרֵה־מֶלַח (umikhreh-melakh, “and a [?] of salt”). The meaning of the first word is unclear, though “pit” (NASB, NIV, NRSV; NKJV “saltpit”), “mine,” and “heap” (cf. NEB “a rotting heap of saltwort”) are all options. The words “filled with” are supplied for clarification.

[2:9]  ²¹ tn Or “The remnant of my people.”

[2:9]  ²² tn Heb “them.” The actual object of the plundering, “their belongings,” has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:9]  ²³ tn Heb “[the] nation.” For clarity the “nation” has been specified as “Judah” in the translation.