Zefanya 1:10

1:10 On that day,” says the Lord,

“a loud cry will go up ¹  from the Fish Gate, ² 

wailing from the city’s newer district, ³ 

and a loud crash ⁴  from the hills.

Zefanya 2:2

2:2 before God’s decree becomes reality ⁵  and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, ⁶ 

before the Lord’s raging anger ⁷  overtakes ⁸  you –

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

Zefanya 3:2-3

3:2 She is disobedient; ⁹ 

she refuses correction. ¹⁰ 

She does not trust the Lord;

she does not seek the advice of ¹¹  her God.

3:3 Her princes ¹²  are as fierce as roaring lions; ¹³ 

her rulers ¹⁴  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ¹⁵ 

who completely devour their prey by morning. ¹⁶ 

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

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

[1:10]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “great breaking.”

[2:2]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “comes upon.” This phrase occurs twice in this verse.

[3:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “she does not hear a voice” Refusing to listen is equated with disobedience.

[3:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “she does not receive correction.” The Hebrew phrase, when negated, refers elsewhere to rejecting verbal advice (Jer 17:23; 32:33; 35:13) and refusing to learn from experience (Jer 2:30; 5:3).

[3:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “draw near to.” The present translation assumes that the expression “draw near to” refers to seeking God’s will (see 1 Sam 14:36).

[3:3]  ¹² tn Or “officials.”

[3:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ¹⁴ tn Traditionally “judges.”

[3:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.