Zefanya 3:5-7

3:5 The just Lord resides ¹  within her;

he commits no unjust acts. ² 

Every morning he reveals ³  his justice.

At dawn he appears without fail. ⁴ 

Yet the unjust know no shame.

The Lord’s Judgment will Purify

3:6 “I destroyed ⁵  nations;

their walled cities ⁶  are in ruins.

I turned their streets into ruins;

no one passes through them.

Their cities are desolate; ⁷ 

no one lives there. ⁸ 

3:7 I thought, ⁹  ‘Certainly you will respect ¹⁰  me!

Now you will accept correction!’

If she had done so, her home ¹¹  would not be destroyed ¹² 

by all the punishments I have threatened. ¹³ 

But they eagerly sinned

in everything they did. ¹⁴ 

[3:5]  ¹ tn The word “resides” is supplied for clarification.

[3:5]  ² tn Or “he does no injustice.”

[3:5]  ³ tn Heb “gives”; or “dispenses.”

[3:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “at the light he is not missing.” Note that NASB (which capitalizes pronouns referring to Deity) has divided the lines differently: “Every morning He brings His justice to light; // He does not fail.”

[3:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “cut off.”

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

[3:6]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that there is no man, without inhabitant.”

[3:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “said.”

[3:7]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Or “dwelling place.”

[3:7]  ¹² tn Heb “cut off.”

[3:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “all which I have punished her.” The precise meaning of this statement and its relationship to what precedes are unclear.

[3:7]  ¹⁴ 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.