Zefanya 2:7

2:7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah ¹  will take possession of it. ² 

By the sea ³  they ⁴  will graze,

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

for the Lord their God will intervene for them ⁵  and restore their prosperity. ⁶ 

Zefanya 3:9

3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable

the nations to give me acceptable praise. ⁷ 

All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray, ⁸ 

and will worship him in unison. ⁹ 

Zefanya 3:20

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ¹⁰ 

Be sure of this! ¹¹  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ¹² 

when you see me restore you,” ¹³  says the Lord.

Zefanya 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ¹⁴  all you humble people ¹⁵  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ¹⁶ 

Strive to do what is right! ¹⁷  Strive to be humble! ¹⁸ 

Maybe you will be protected ¹⁹  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

[2:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the remnant of the house of Judah.”

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

[2:7]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Or “will care for them.”

[2:7]  ⁶ 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).

[3:9]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”

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

[3:20]  ¹⁰ tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.

[3:20]  ¹¹ tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”