Zephaniah 3
3
Jerusalem Will Be Punished
1Doomed is the filthy # 3:1 Or “rebellious.” The Hebrew word morʾah is taken from the root word for “excrement.” Zephaniah was saying that the city is full of rebellion and filth. There are three Hebrew terms that qualify her spiritual and moral corruption in this opening verse: morʾah, nigʾalah, and hayyonah—participial adjectives. The first of these derives from the verb maraʾ or marah, which means “rebellious.” The second derives from the verb gaʾal, with the sense of “polluted” or “defiled”—and it is this latter meaning that is particularly appropriate for Jerusalem since it accurately describes the extent of both her ceremonial and moral impurity. And the third participle derives from the verb yanah, meaning “oppressive.” and foul city—
the city of oppression!
2Her people do not listen to the voice of God
and will not accept correction. # 3:2 See Jer. 7:28.
They do not trust in Yahweh anymore
and do not want a close relationship with their God. # 3:2 This is perhaps the whole issue of the golden calf, that which stood in the way of intimacy between God and Israel. Intimacy requires acknowledgment of the total “otherness” of God and our inability to fathom him and his grace toward the depths of our beings, which we will never fully understand. This grace relationship with God allows us to go forth and love others with the same graciousness.
3Her rulers are roaring lions,
and her judges are ravenous wolves who hunt in the evening, # 3:3 Or “evening wolves.”
too greedy to leave even a bone till the morning.
4Her prophets are proud, reckless impostors. # 3:4 Or “irresponsible and treacherous.”
Her priests profane the holy place # 3:4 See Lev. 10:10.
and openly break the Law. # 3:4 Or “wage war [Hb. chamas or hamas] against the Torah.”
5In spite of all this,
Yahweh the Righteous resides in Jerusalem,
and all he does is just and true.
Morning by morning, he brings justice to light,
and day by day, he never fails.
Yet the wicked are shameless.
Yahweh Judges the Nations
6“I have destroyed proud # 3:6 As translated from the Septuagint. nations
and toppled their high towers.
I filled their streets with rubble
so no one walks through them.
Their cities have been demolished.
Everyone is gone. Not one is left.
7I thought, ‘Certainly, now you will revere me.
Now you will yield to my correction.’
Then I would not need to punish them again
and destroy their homes.
But no, they were just as eager
to do whatever was evil.
8“So wait patiently for me,” declares Yahweh. # 3:8 Most commentators believe that this verse is addressed to those in Jerusalem who remained faithful to God.
“Wait for the day when I rise to seize the prey. # 3:8 Or “when I rise up to accuse” (LXX, Syriac).
For I have determined to gather the nations
and assemble the kingdoms
so that they will experience my fury
and know how great my anger is.
For the land will be consumed
by the fire of my avenging zeal.”
A Time of Restoration
9“For then I will change the impure speech of all the people # 3:9 Or “nations.”
to the pure speech of praise # 3:9 In the context, God promises to convert the people of the nations from speaking the names of impure gods to offering pure speech (lit. “pure lip”) to him.
so that all may worship my name together
and serve me shoulder to shoulder. # 3:9 Or “with one shoulder.”
10From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, # 3:10 A possible figure of speech for “from the remotest parts of the earth.” See footnote on 2:12.
my worshipers from distant lands will bring me gifts.” # 3:10 Or “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia [Sudan] they will bring my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed, as an offering unto me.”
The Humble Remnant of Israel
11“When that day comes,
you will never again be put to shame
over your former acts of rebellion.
For I will remove from your midst
all who are arrogant and who boast in their self-importance.
You will never again strut about in pride
on my holy mountain.
12But I will leave a remnant among you:
a humble and lowly people
who will find their hiding place
in the beautiful name of Yahweh.
13They will do no wrong and only speak the truth,
nor will they use any form of deceit.
They will be content like grazing sheep.
They will rest, and no one will frighten them.”
Songs of Joy in Zion
14Go ahead, sing for joy, daughter of Zion.
People of Israel, get excited and shout aloud.
Rejoice, let blissful praise fill your heart,
fair daughter of Jerusalem.
15Yahweh has canceled out his judgments against you.
He has turned your accuser away.
Yahweh, your King, is here within you, # 3:15 Or “among you.” See v. 17. Israel;
you have nothing more to fear.
16On that day, the message for Jerusalem will be:
Zion, do not yield to fear.
Don’t let your heart be discouraged. # 3:16 Or “Don’t let your hands grow weak [limp].”
17Yahweh, your God, is inside you. # 3:17 Or “in your midst.”
He is the Warrior-Savior
who takes such delight in you
that it will make him leap for joy
and shout with great gladness.
Yes, he will soothe you with his love. # 3:17 Or “quiet you with his love” or “seal [engrave] you with his love.” To rest in God’s love is a silent ecstasy. God’s love both renews and soothes the troubled soul.
He will sing over you his song of praise. # 3:17 The word for “song” is ranan, which is a song of praise. See 1 Cor. 4:5.
18“I will remove the sadness over your appointed feasts,
and you will not be ashamed about them again. # 3:18 Or “I will gather together those who mourn for the appointed feasts—those people belong to you, so you will no longer suffer reproach.” The Hebrew verb ʾasap or ʾasaph can mean either “to gather” or “to remove,” depending on the context. The precise meaning of the Hebrew of this sentence is uncertain.
19Behold, at the right time,
I will deal with those who mistreat you.
I will rescue the weak
and regather the scattered ones. # 3:19 See Mic. 4:6–7.
I will turn their shame into praise
when I restore their honor across the land.
20On that day, I will be your guide to bring you home;
at that time, I will gather you together.
You can be sure of this:
I will give you a good name,
and you will be admired among all the peoples of the earth
as I restore your fortunes before your own eyes.
I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
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Zephaniah 3: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationZephaniah 3
3
Jerusalem Will Be Punished
1Doomed is the filthy # 3:1 Or “rebellious.” The Hebrew word morʾah is taken from the root word for “excrement.” Zephaniah was saying that the city is full of rebellion and filth. There are three Hebrew terms that qualify her spiritual and moral corruption in this opening verse: morʾah, nigʾalah, and hayyonah—participial adjectives. The first of these derives from the verb maraʾ or marah, which means “rebellious.” The second derives from the verb gaʾal, with the sense of “polluted” or “defiled”—and it is this latter meaning that is particularly appropriate for Jerusalem since it accurately describes the extent of both her ceremonial and moral impurity. And the third participle derives from the verb yanah, meaning “oppressive.” and foul city—
the city of oppression!
2Her people do not listen to the voice of God
and will not accept correction. # 3:2 See Jer. 7:28.
They do not trust in Yahweh anymore
and do not want a close relationship with their God. # 3:2 This is perhaps the whole issue of the golden calf, that which stood in the way of intimacy between God and Israel. Intimacy requires acknowledgment of the total “otherness” of God and our inability to fathom him and his grace toward the depths of our beings, which we will never fully understand. This grace relationship with God allows us to go forth and love others with the same graciousness.
3Her rulers are roaring lions,
and her judges are ravenous wolves who hunt in the evening, # 3:3 Or “evening wolves.”
too greedy to leave even a bone till the morning.
4Her prophets are proud, reckless impostors. # 3:4 Or “irresponsible and treacherous.”
Her priests profane the holy place # 3:4 See Lev. 10:10.
and openly break the Law. # 3:4 Or “wage war [Hb. chamas or hamas] against the Torah.”
5In spite of all this,
Yahweh the Righteous resides in Jerusalem,
and all he does is just and true.
Morning by morning, he brings justice to light,
and day by day, he never fails.
Yet the wicked are shameless.
Yahweh Judges the Nations
6“I have destroyed proud # 3:6 As translated from the Septuagint. nations
and toppled their high towers.
I filled their streets with rubble
so no one walks through them.
Their cities have been demolished.
Everyone is gone. Not one is left.
7I thought, ‘Certainly, now you will revere me.
Now you will yield to my correction.’
Then I would not need to punish them again
and destroy their homes.
But no, they were just as eager
to do whatever was evil.
8“So wait patiently for me,” declares Yahweh. # 3:8 Most commentators believe that this verse is addressed to those in Jerusalem who remained faithful to God.
“Wait for the day when I rise to seize the prey. # 3:8 Or “when I rise up to accuse” (LXX, Syriac).
For I have determined to gather the nations
and assemble the kingdoms
so that they will experience my fury
and know how great my anger is.
For the land will be consumed
by the fire of my avenging zeal.”
A Time of Restoration
9“For then I will change the impure speech of all the people # 3:9 Or “nations.”
to the pure speech of praise # 3:9 In the context, God promises to convert the people of the nations from speaking the names of impure gods to offering pure speech (lit. “pure lip”) to him.
so that all may worship my name together
and serve me shoulder to shoulder. # 3:9 Or “with one shoulder.”
10From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, # 3:10 A possible figure of speech for “from the remotest parts of the earth.” See footnote on 2:12.
my worshipers from distant lands will bring me gifts.” # 3:10 Or “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia [Sudan] they will bring my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed, as an offering unto me.”
The Humble Remnant of Israel
11“When that day comes,
you will never again be put to shame
over your former acts of rebellion.
For I will remove from your midst
all who are arrogant and who boast in their self-importance.
You will never again strut about in pride
on my holy mountain.
12But I will leave a remnant among you:
a humble and lowly people
who will find their hiding place
in the beautiful name of Yahweh.
13They will do no wrong and only speak the truth,
nor will they use any form of deceit.
They will be content like grazing sheep.
They will rest, and no one will frighten them.”
Songs of Joy in Zion
14Go ahead, sing for joy, daughter of Zion.
People of Israel, get excited and shout aloud.
Rejoice, let blissful praise fill your heart,
fair daughter of Jerusalem.
15Yahweh has canceled out his judgments against you.
He has turned your accuser away.
Yahweh, your King, is here within you, # 3:15 Or “among you.” See v. 17. Israel;
you have nothing more to fear.
16On that day, the message for Jerusalem will be:
Zion, do not yield to fear.
Don’t let your heart be discouraged. # 3:16 Or “Don’t let your hands grow weak [limp].”
17Yahweh, your God, is inside you. # 3:17 Or “in your midst.”
He is the Warrior-Savior
who takes such delight in you
that it will make him leap for joy
and shout with great gladness.
Yes, he will soothe you with his love. # 3:17 Or “quiet you with his love” or “seal [engrave] you with his love.” To rest in God’s love is a silent ecstasy. God’s love both renews and soothes the troubled soul.
He will sing over you his song of praise. # 3:17 The word for “song” is ranan, which is a song of praise. See 1 Cor. 4:5.
18“I will remove the sadness over your appointed feasts,
and you will not be ashamed about them again. # 3:18 Or “I will gather together those who mourn for the appointed feasts—those people belong to you, so you will no longer suffer reproach.” The Hebrew verb ʾasap or ʾasaph can mean either “to gather” or “to remove,” depending on the context. The precise meaning of the Hebrew of this sentence is uncertain.
19Behold, at the right time,
I will deal with those who mistreat you.
I will rescue the weak
and regather the scattered ones. # 3:19 See Mic. 4:6–7.
I will turn their shame into praise
when I restore their honor across the land.
20On that day, I will be your guide to bring you home;
at that time, I will gather you together.
You can be sure of this:
I will give you a good name,
and you will be admired among all the peoples of the earth
as I restore your fortunes before your own eyes.
I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
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Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation