e Connecting hyyn (1QpHab hwn) with the root hwn, Deut. 1.41; for the thought cf. Prov. 11.31. Meaning of rest of line uncertain.
f Lit. “usurers.”
g Lit. “shake”; the same verb means “to call to mind” in Samaritan Aramaic.
h-h Brought up from v. 10 for clarity.
i I.e., without profit.
j Connection with the next four lines uncertain; they might read better after v. 20.
k-k Cf. Isa. 11.9.
l-l Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “from the bowl of.”
m Cf. Gen. 9.21–22.
n Emendation yields “uncover yourself”; cf. Lam. 4.21.
o-o Or “vomit of disgrace upon.”
p-p Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
q This verse would read well after v. 19.
a Meaning uncertain; perhaps “psalms of supplication”; cf. Ps. 7.1.
b A musical direction of uncertain meaning.
c-c Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
d Cf. Targum and Septuagint.
e Neharim (lit. “Floods”) and Yam (lit. “Sea”) were marine monsters vanquished by the LORD in hoary antiquity. On Yam see Ps. 74.13; Job 7.12. A being called both Yam and Nahar figures in early Canaanite literature.
f I.e., the king of Judah.
g-g Emendation yields: You will strike the heads of men of evil,/Smash the pates of Your adversaries. Selah./You will crack their skulls with Your bludgeon;/Dispersed, blown like chaff shall be they/Who lie in wait to swallow the innocent,/To devour the poor in an ambush.
h Heb. “His.”
i-i Or: 15You will make Your steeds tread the sea,/Stirring the mighty waters,/16That I may have rest on a day of distress,/When a people come up to attack us./But this report made my bowels quake,/These tidings made my lips quiver;/Rot entered into my bone,/I trembled where I stood:/17That the fig tree does not bud,/And no yield is on the vine;/The olive crop has failed,/And the fields produce no grain;/The sheep have vanished from the fold,/And no cattle are in the pen.
Zephaniah
1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of
Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, during the reign of King Josiah
son of Amon of Judah.
2I will sweep everything away
From the face of the earth
— declares the LORD.
3I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the sky
And the fish of the sea.
a-I will make the wicked stumble,-a
And I will destroy mankind
From the face of the earth
— declares the LORD.
4I will stretch out My arm against Judah
And against all who dwell in Jerusalem;
And I will wipe out from this place
Every vestige of Baal,
And the name of the priestlingsb along with the priests;
5And those who bow down on the roofs
To the host of heaven;
And those who bow down and swear to the LORD
But also swear by Malcam;c
6And those who have forsaken the LORD,
And those who have not sought the LORD
And have not turned to Him.
7Be silent before my Lord GOD,
For the day of the LORD is approaching;
For the LORD has prepared a d-sacrificial feast,-d
Has bidden His guests purify themselves.
8And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice
I will punish the officials
And the king’s sons,e
f-And all who don a foreign vestment.
9I will also punish on that day
Everyone who steps over the threshold,-f
Who fill their master’sg palace
With lawlessness and fraud.
10In that day there shall be
— declares the LORD—
A loud outcry from the Fish Gate,
And howling from the Mishneh,h
And a sound of great anguish from the hills.
11The dwellers of the Machteshi howl;
For all the tradesmen have perished,
All who weigh silver are wiped out.
12At that time,
I will search Jerusalem with lamps;
And I will punish the men
Who rest untroubled on their lees,
Who say to themselves,The LORD will do nothing, good or bad.’’ 13Their wealth shall be plundered And their homes laid waste. They shall build houses and not dwell in them, Plant vineyards and not drink their wine. 14The great day of the LORD is approaching, Approaching most swiftly. j-Hark, the day of the LORD! It is bitter: There a warrior shrieks!-j 15That day shall be a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of calamity and desolation, A day of darkness and deep gloom, A day of densest clouds, 16A day of horn blasts and alarms— Against the fortified towns And the lofty corner towers. 17I will bring distress on the people, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be spilled like dust, And their fatk like dung. 18Moreover, their silver and gold Shall not avail to save them. On the day of the LORD’s wrath, In the fire of His passion, The whole land shall be consumed; For He will make a terrible end Of all who dwell in the land. 2 Gather together, gather, a-O nation without shame, 2Before the day the decree is born— The day flies by like chaff-a— Before the fierce anger Of the LORD overtakes you, Before the day of anger Of the LORD overtakes you. 3Seek the LORD, All you humble of the land Who have fulfilled His law; Seek righteousness, Seek humility. Perhaps you will find shelter On the day of the LORD’s anger. 4Indeed, Gaza shall be deserted And Ashkelon desolate; Ashdod's people shall be expelled in broad daylight, And Ekron shall be uprooted. 5Ah, nation of Cherethites Who inhabit the seacoast! There is a word of the LORD against you, O Canaan,b land of the Philistines: I will lay you waste Without inhabitants. 6The seacoast Cherothc shall become An abode for shepherds and folds for flocks, 7And shall be a portion for the remnant of the House of Judah; On these [pastures] they shall graze [their flocks], They shall d-lie down-d at eventide In the houses of Ashkelon. For the LORD their God will take note of them And restore their fortunes. 8I have heard the insults of Moab And the jeers of the Ammonites, Who have insulted My people And gloated over their country. 9Assuredly, as I live — declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel— Moab shall become like Sodom And the Ammonites like Gomorrah: Clumpsc of weeds and patchesc of salt, And desolation evermore. The remnant of My people shall plunder them, The remainder of My nation shall possess them. 10That is what they’ll get for their haughtiness, For insulting and jeering At the people of the LORD of Hosts. 11The LORD will show Himself terrible against them, Causing all the gods on earth to shrivel;c And all the coastlands of the nations Shall bow down to Him— Every man in his own home. 12You Cushites too— e-They shall be slain by My sword.-e 13And He will stretch out His arm against the north And destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolation, Arid as the desert. 14In it flocks shall lie down, Every a c-species of beast, While jackdaws and owls roost on its capitals, The great owl hoots in the window, And the raven [croaks] on the threshold. For he has stripped its cedarwork bare.-c 15Is this the gay city That dwelt secure, That thought in her heart, I am, and there is none but me’’?
Alas, she is become a waste,
A lair of wild beasts!
Everyone who passes by her
Hisses and gestures with his hand.f
3
Ah, sullied, polluted,
Overbearinga city!
2She has been disobedient,
Has learned no lesson;
She has not trusted in the LORD,
Has not drawn near to her God.
3The officials within her
Are roaring lions;
Her judges are wolves b-of the steppe,
They leave no bone until morning.-b
4Her prophets are reckless,
Faithless fellows;
Her priests profane what is holy,
They give perverse rulings.
5But the LORD in her midst is righteous,
He does no wrong;
He issues judgment every morning,
As unfailing as the light.
The wrongdoer knows no shame!
6I wiped out nations:
Their corner towers are desolate;
I turned their thoroughfares into ruins,
With none passing by;
Their towns lie waste without people,
Without inhabitants.
7And I thought that shec would fear Me,
Would learn a lesson,
And that the punishment I brought on themd
Would not be e-lost on her.-e
Instead, all the more eagerly
They have practiced corruption in all their deeds.
8But wait for Me—says the LORD—
For the day when I arise as an accuser;f
When I, decide to gather nations,
To bring kingdoms together,
To pour out My indignation on them,
All My blazing anger.
Indeed, by the fire of My passion
All the earth shall be consumed.
9For then I will make the peoples pure of speech,
So that they all invoke the LORD by name
And serve Him with one accord.g
10From beyond the rivers of Cush, My suppliantsb
Shall bring offerings to Me in Fair Puzai.h
11In that day,
You will no longer be shamed for all the deeds
By which you have defied Me.
For then I will remove
The proud and exultant within you,
And you will be haughty no more
On My sacred mount.i
12But I will leave within you
A poor, humble folk,
And they shall find refuge
In the name of the LORD.
13The remnant of Israel
Shall do no wrong
And speak no falsehood;
A deceitful tongue
Shall not be in their mouths.
Only such as these shall graze and lie down,
With none to trouble them.
14Shout for joy, Fair Zion,
Cry aloud, O Israel!
Rejoice and be glad with all your heart,
Fair Jerusalem!
15The LORD has annulled the judgment against you,
He has swept away your foes.
Israel’s Sovereign the LORD is within you;
You need fear misfortune no more.
16In that day,
This shall be said to Jerusalem:
Have no fear, O Zion;
Let not your hands droop!
17Your God the LORD is in your midst,
A warrior who brings triumph.
He will rejoice over you and be glad,
He will shout over you with jubilation.
He will j-soothe with His love
18Those long disconsolate.-j
I will take away from you b-the woe
Over which you endured mockery.-b
19At that time I will make [an end]
Of all who afflicted you.
And I will rescue the lame [sheep]
And gather the strayed;
And I will exchange their disgrace
For fame and renown in all the earth.
20At that time I will gather you,
And at [that] time I will bring you [home];
For I will make you renowned and
