Zefanya 1:9

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

who fill the house of their master ²  with wealth taken by violence and deceit. ³ 

Zefanya 2:2

2:2 before God’s decree becomes reality ⁴  and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, ⁵ 

before the Lord’s raging anger ⁶  overtakes ⁷  you –

before the day of the Lord’s angry judgment overtakes you!

Zefanya 3:15

3:15 The Lord has removed the judgment against you; ⁸ 

he has turned back your enemy.

Israel’s king, the Lord, is in your midst!

You no longer need to fear disaster.

[1:9]  ¹ 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]  ² tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.

[1:9]  ³ tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “before the giving birth of a decree.” For various alternative readings, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 187-88.

[2:2]  ⁵ tn The second half of the line reads literally, “like chaff it passes by a day.” The translation above assumes the “day” is the brief time God is giving the nation to repent. The comparison of this quickly passing opportunity to chaff is consistent with the straw imagery of v. 1.

[2:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “the fury of the anger of the Lord.” The synonyms are combined to emphasize the extreme degree of the Lord’s anger.

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “comes upon.” This phrase occurs twice in this verse.

[3:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “your judgments,” that is, “the judgments directed against you.” The translation reflects the implications of the parallelism.