Zefanya 2:6

2:6 The seacoast ¹  will be used as pasture lands ²  by the shepherds

and as pens for their flocks.

Zefanya 2:13

2:13 The Lord ³  will attack the north ⁴ 

and destroy Assyria.

He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;

it will be as barren ⁵  as the desert.

Zefanya 2:4

Judgment on Surrounding Nations

2:4 Indeed, ⁶  Gaza will be deserted ⁷ 

and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. ⁸ 

Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, ⁹ 

and Ekron will be overthrown. ¹⁰ 

Zefanya 1:8

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

I will punish the princes ¹¹  and the king’s sons,

and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. ¹² 

Zefanya 3:6

The Lord’s Judgment will Purify

3:6 “I destroyed ¹³  nations;

their walled cities ¹⁴  are in ruins.

I turned their streets into ruins;

no one passes through them.

Their cities are desolate; ¹⁵ 

no one lives there. ¹⁶ 

Zefanya 3:20

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ¹⁷ 

Be sure of this! ¹⁸  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ¹⁹ 

when you see me restore you,” ²⁰  says the Lord.

Zefanya 2:15

2:15 This is how the once-proud city will end up ²¹  –

the city that was so secure. ²² 

She thought to herself, ²³  “I am unique! No one can compare to me!” ²⁴ 

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

Everyone who passes by her taunts her ²⁵  and shakes his fist. ²⁶ 

Zefanya 2:7

2:7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah ²⁷  will take possession of it. ²⁸ 

By the sea ²⁹  they ³⁰  will graze,

in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,

for the Lord their God will intervene for them ³¹  and restore their prosperity. ³² 

Zefanya 1:12

1:12 At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.

I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin, ³³ 

those who think to themselves, ³⁴ 

‘The Lord neither rewards nor punishes.’ ³⁵ 

Zefanya 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, ³⁶ 

filled with salt pits, ³⁷ 

and permanently desolate.

Those of my people who are left ³⁸  will plunder their belongings; ³⁹ 

those who are left in Judah ⁴⁰  will take possession of their land.”

Zefanya 1:10

1:10 On that day,” says the Lord,

“a loud cry will go up ⁴¹  from the Fish Gate, ⁴² 

wailing from the city’s newer district, ⁴³ 

and a loud crash ⁴⁴  from the hills.

Zefanya 3:9

3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable

the nations to give me acceptable praise. ⁴⁵ 

All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray, ⁴⁶ 

and will worship him in unison. ⁴⁷ 

Zefanya 3:19

3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.

I will rescue the lame sheep ⁴⁸ 

and gather together the scattered sheep.

I will take away their humiliation

and make the whole earth admire and respect them. ⁴⁹ 

Zefanya 1:13

1:13 Their wealth will be stolen

and their houses ruined!

They will not live in the houses they have built,

nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they have planted.

Zefanya 3:16

3:16 On that day they will say ⁵⁰  to Jerusalem,

“Don’t be afraid, Zion!

Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic! ⁵¹ 

Zefanya 2:10

2:10 This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance, ⁵² 

for they taunted and verbally harassed ⁵³  the people of the Lord who commands armies.

Zefanya 3:10

3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, ⁵⁴ 

those who pray to me ⁵⁵  will bring me tribute.

Zefanya 2:11

2:11 The Lord will terrify them, ⁵⁶ 

for ⁵⁷  he will weaken ⁵⁸  all the gods of the earth.

All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. ⁵⁹ 

Zefanya 2:14

2:14 Flocks and herds ⁶⁰  will lie down in the middle of it,

as well as every kind of wild animal. ⁶¹ 

Owls ⁶²  will sleep in the tops of its support pillars;

they will hoot through the windows. ⁶³ 

Rubble will cover the thresholds; ⁶⁴ 

even the cedar work ⁶⁵  will be exposed to the elements. ⁶⁶ 

Zefanya 3:7

3:7 I thought, ⁶⁷  ‘Certainly you will respect ⁶⁸  me!

Now you will accept correction!’

If she had done so, her home ⁶⁹  would not be destroyed ⁷⁰ 

by all the punishments I have threatened. ⁷¹ 

But they eagerly sinned

in everything they did. ⁷² 

Zefanya 3:11

3:11 In that day you ⁷³  will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me, ⁷⁴ 

for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, ⁷⁵ 

and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill.

[2:6]  ¹ tn The NIV here supplies the phrase “where the Kerethites dwell” (“Kerethites” is translated in v. 5 as “the people who came from Crete”) as an interpretive gloss, but this phrase is not in the MT. The NAB likewise reads “the coastland of the Cretans,” supplying “Cretans” here.

[2:6]  ² tn The Hebrew phrase here is נְוֹת כְּרֹת (nÿvot kÿrot). The first word is probably a plural form of נָוָה (navah, “pasture”). The meaning of the second word is unclear. It may be a synonym of the preceding word (cf. NRSV “pastures, meadows for shepherds”); there is a word כַּר (kar, “pasture”) in biblical Hebrew, but elsewhere it forms its plural with a masculine ending. Some have suggested the meaning “wells” or “caves” used as shelters (cf. NEB “shepherds’ huts”); in this case, one might translate, “The seacoast will be used for pasturelands; for shepherds’ wells/caves.”

[2:13]  ³ tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “he will stretch out his hand against the north.”

[2:13]  ⁵ tn Or “dry.”

[2:4]  ⁶ tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:4]  ⁷ tn There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name Gaza (עַזָּה, ’azzah) sounds like the word translated “deserted” (עֲזוּבָה, ’azuvah).

[2:4]  ⁸ tn Or “a desolate place.”

[2:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “[As for] Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away.”

[2:4]  sn The reference to noon may suggest a sudden, quick defeat (see Jer 6:4; 15:8).

[2:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “uprooted.” There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name “Ekron” (עֶקְרוֹן, ’eqron) sounds like the word translated “uprooted” (תֵּעָקֵר, te’aqer).

[1:8]  ¹¹ tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”

[1:8]  ¹² sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.

[3:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “cut off.”

[3:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “corner towers”; NEB, NRSV “battlements.”

[3:6]  ¹⁵ tn This Hebrew verb (צָדָה, tsadah) occurs only here in the OT, but its meaning is established from the context and from an Aramaic cognate.

[3:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “so that there is no man, without inhabitant.”

[3:20]  ¹⁷ tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.

[3:20]  ¹⁸ tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I will make you into a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth.” Here the word “name” carries the nuance of “good reputation.”

[3:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.

[2:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “this is the proud city.”

[2:15]  ²² tn Heb “the one that lived securely.”

[2:15]  ²³ tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”

[2:15]  ²⁴ tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.”

[2:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “hisses”; or “whistles.”

[2:15]  ²⁶ 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.

[2:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the remnant of the house of Judah.”

[2:7]  ²⁸ tn Or “the coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah.”

[2:7]  ²⁹ tc Heb “on them,” but the antecedent of the masculine pronoun is unclear. It may refer back to the “pasture lands,” though that noun is feminine. It is preferable to emend the text from עֲלֵיהֶם (’alehem) to עַל־הַיָּם (’al-hayyam, “by the sea”) an emendation that assumes a misdivision and transposition of letters in the MT (cf. NEB “They shall pasture their flocks by the sea”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 192.

[2:7]  ³⁰ tn The referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) is unclear. It may refer (1) to the shepherds (in which case the first verb should be translated, “pasture their sheep,” cf. NEB), or (2) to the Judahites occupying the area, who are being compared to sheep (cf. NIV, “there they will find pasture”).

[2:7]  ³¹ tn Or “will care for them.”

[2:7]  ³² tn Traditionally, “restore their captivity,” i.e., bring back their captives, but it is more likely the expression means “restore their fortunes” in a more general sense (cf. NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[1:12]  ³³ tn Heb “who thicken on their sediment.” The imagery comes from wine making, where the wine, if allowed to remain on the sediment too long, will thicken into syrup. The image suggests that the people described here were complacent in their sinful behavior and interpreted the delay in judgment as divine apathy.

[1:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “who say in their hearts.”

[1:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “The Lord does not do good nor does he do evil.”

[2:9]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Or “The remnant of my people.”

[2:9]  ³⁹ tn Heb “them.” The actual object of the plundering, “their belongings,” has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:9]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “[the] nation.” For clarity the “nation” has been specified as “Judah” in the translation.

[1:10]  ⁴¹ tn The words “will go up” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:10]  ⁴² sn The Fish Gate was located on Jerusalem’s north side (cf. 2 Chr 33:14; Neh 3:3; 12:39).

[1:10]  ⁴³ tn Heb “from the second area.” This may refer to an area northwest of the temple where the rich lived (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 86; cf. NASB, NRSV “the Second Quarter”; NIV “the New Quarter”).

[1:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “great breaking.”

[3:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Certainly [or perhaps, “For”] then I will restore to the nations a pure lip.”

[3:9]  sn I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable praise. This apparently refers to a time when the nations will reject their false idol-gods and offer genuine praise to the one true God.

[3:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”

[3:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “so that [they] will serve him [with] one shoulder.”

[3:19]  ⁴⁸ tn The word “sheep” is supplied for clarification. As in Mic 4:6-7, the exiles are here pictured as injured and scattered sheep whom the divine shepherd rescues from danger.

[3:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “I will make them into praise and a name, in all the earth, their shame.” The present translation assumes that “their shame” specifies “them” and that “name” stands here for a good reputation.

[3:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “it will be said.” The passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.

[3:16]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “your hands must not go limp.”

[2:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “this is for them in place of their arrogance.”

[2:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “made great [their mouth?] against” (cf. the last phrase of v. 8).

[3:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “Nubia”; Heb “Cush.” “Cush” is traditionally assumed to refer to the region south of Egypt, i.e. Nubia or northern Sudan, referred to as “Ethiopia” by classical authors (not the more recent Abyssinia).

[3:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “those who pray to me, the daughter of my dispersed ones.” The meaning of the phrase is unclear. Perhaps the text is corrupt at this point or a proper name should be understood. For a discussion of various options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 134-35.

[3:10]  sn It is not certain if those who pray to me refers to the converted nations or to God’s exiled covenant people.

[2:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”

[2:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “certainly.”

[2:11]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”

[2:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “flocks.” The Hebrew word can refer to both flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.

[2:14]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “[and] all the wild animals of a nation.” How גוֹי (goy, “nation”) relates to what precedes is unclear. It may be a corruption of another word. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 193.

[2:14]  ⁶² tn The Hebrew text reads here גַּם־קָאַת גַּם־קִפֹּד (gam-qa’at gam-qippod). The term קָאַת refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (Isa 34:11); one of the most common translations is “owl” (cf. NEB “horned owl”; NIV, NRSV “desert owl”; contra NASB “pelican”). The term קִפֹּד may also refer to a type of bird (cf. NEB “ruffed bustard”; NIV, NRSV “screech owl”). Some suggest a rodent may be in view (cf. NASB “hedgehog”); this is not unreasonable, for a rodent or some other small animal would be able to sleep in the tops of pillars which would be lying in the ruins of the fallen buildings.

[2:14]  ⁶³ tn Heb “a sound will sing in the window.” If some type of owl is in view, “hoot” is a more appropriate translation (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[2:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “rubble [will be] on the threshold.” “Rubble” translates the Hebrew word חֹרֶב (khorev, “desolation”). Some emend to עֹרֵב (’orev, “raven”) following the LXX and Vulgate; Adele Berlin translates, “A voice shall shriek from the window – a raven at the sill” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 104).

[2:14]  ⁶⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “cedar work” (so NASB, NRSV) is unclear; NIV has “the beams of cedar.”

[2:14]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “one will expose.” The subject is probably indefinite, though one could translate, “for he [i.e., God] will lay bare.”

[3:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “said.”

[3:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “fear.” The second person verb form (“you will respect”) is feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed.

[3:7]  sn God’s judgment of the nations (v. 6) was an object lesson for Israel’s benefit.

[3:7]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “dwelling place.”

[3:7]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “cut off.”

[3:7]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “all which I have punished her.” The precise meaning of this statement and its relationship to what precedes are unclear.

[3:7]  ⁷² tn Heb “But they got up early, they made corrupt all their actions.” The phrase “they got up early” probably refers to their eagerness to engage in sinful activities.

[3:11]  ⁷³ sn The second person verbs and pronouns are feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed here.

[3:11]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “In that day you not be ashamed because of all your actions, [in] which you rebelled against me.”

[3:11]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the arrogant ones of your pride.”