הוֹי מֹרְאָה וְנִגְאָלָה הָעִיר הַיּוֹנָה׃   3:1

Zeph. 3:1   Woe, filthy and polluted,

                              oppressing city!

In this, his last chapter, Zephaniah turns his attention directly to Jerusalem, its residents, and finally to the dispersed among the nations.

לֹא שָׁמְעָה בְּקוֹל לֹא לָקְחָה מוּסָר בַּיהוָה לֹא בָטָחָה אֶל־אֱלֹהֶיהָ לֹא קָרֵבָה׃   3:2

Zeph. 3:2   It does not listen into the voice;

                              it does not accept correction;

                    it does not trust in the Lord;

                              it does not come near to its God.

שָׂרֶיהָ בְקִרְבָּהּ אֲרָיוֹת שֹׁאֲגִים שֹׁפְטֶיהָ זְאֵבֵי עֶרֶב לֹא גָרְמוּ לַבֹּקֶר׃   3:3

Zeph. 3:3   Its princes in its midst are roaring lions;

                              its judges are wolves of the night;

                    they leave nothing for morning.

נְבִיאֶיהָ פֹּחֲזִים אַנְשֵׁי בֹּגְדוֹת כֹּהֲנֶיהָ חִלְּלוּ־קֹדֶשׁ חָמְסוּ תּוֹרָה׃   3:4

Zeph. 3:4   Its prophets are wanton, men of treachery;

                              its priests profane the holy;

                     they do violence to the Torah.

יְהוָה צַדִּיק בְּקִרְבָּהּ לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה עַוְלָה בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר מִשְׁפָּטוֹ יִתֵּן לָאוֹר לֹא נֶעְדָּר וְלֹא־יוֹדֵעַ עַוָּל   3:5           בֹּשֶׁת׃

Zeph. 3:5   The righteous Lord shall be in its midst,

                              He will not do injustice;

                     every morning He would set His justice as an unfailing lamp,

                              but no unjust one knows shame.

הִכְרַתִּי גוֹיִם נָשַׁמּוּ פִּנּוֹתָם הֶחֱרַבְתִּי חוּצוֹתָם מִבְּלִי עוֹבֵר נִצְדּוּ עָרֵיהֶם מִבְּלִי־אִישׁ מֵאֵין יוֹשֵׁב׃   3:6

Zeph. 3:6   “I cut off nations,

                              their corners are made desolate;

                     I lay waste their streets, without any passer-by;

                              their cities are destroyed, without anyone,

                    without an inhabitant.”

אָמַרְתִּי אַךְ־תִּירְאִי אוֹתִי תִּקְחִי מוּסָר וְלֹא־יִכָּרֵת מְעוֹנָהּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־פָּקַדְתִּי עָלֶיהָ אָכֵן הִשְׁכִּימוּ   3:7            הִשְׁחִיתוּ כֹּל עֲלִילוֹתָם׃

Zeph. 3:7   “I say, ‘Surely you will fear Me, accept correction,’

                               so its dwelling place would not have to be cut off.

                    All that I have visited upon it!

                               But they began early to corrupt all their deeds!”

לָכֵן חַכּוּ־לִי נְאֻם־יְהוָה לְיוֹם קוּמִי לְעַד כִּי מִשְׁפָּטִי לֶאֱסֹף גּוֹיִם לְקָבְצִי מַמְלָכוֹת לִשְׁפֹּךְ עֲלֵיהֶם זַעְמִי   3:8 כֹּל חֲרוֹן אַפִּי כִּי בְּאֵשׁ קִנְאָתִי תֵּאָכֵל כָּל־הָאָרֶץ׃

Zeph. 3:8   “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord,

                               “for the time of My rising to the prey!

                    For My plan is to gather nations,

                               assembling kingdoms to Me,

                     to pour My ‘indignation’ upon them,

                               all the ferocity of My ‘anger.’

                    For in the fire of My passion the entire earth shall be consumed.”

כִּי־אָז אֶהְפֹּךְ אֶל־עַמִּים שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה לִקְרֹא כֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה לְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָד׃   3:9

Zeph. 3:9   “But then I shall redirect a purified speech to the peoples,

                               every one of them, to call on the name of the Lord,

                     to serve Him together.”

מֵעֵבֶר לְנַהֲרֵי־כוּשׁ עֲתָרַי בַּת־פּוּצַי יוֹבִלוּן מִנְחָתִי׃   3:10

Zeph. 3:10   “My worshipper,

                                daughter of My dispersion,

                       they shall bring My offering

                                from the side opposite to the rivers of Ethiopia.

They (who shall bring the Lord’s offering -- third line above) must refer to the repentant nations, who will show their loyalty to the Lord by themselves bringing back His dispersed.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֹא תֵבוֹשִׁי מִכֹּל עֲלִילֹתַיִךְ אֲשֶׁר פָּשַׁעַתְּ בִּי כִּי־אָז אָסִיר מִקִּרְבֵּךְ עַלִּיזֵי גַּאֲוָתֵךְ   3:11                וְלֹא־תוֹסִפִי לְגָבְהָה עוֹד בְּהַר קָדְשִׁי׃

Zeph. 3:11   “On that day you shall not be ashamed

                                 by all your deeds by which you transgressed toward Me,

                       for then I will remove from your midst the exulting ones of your pride,

                                 that you would no longer be haughty ever on My holy mountain.”

וְהִשְׁאַרְתִּי בְקִרְבֵּךְ עַם עָנִי וָדָל וְחָסוּ בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה׃   3:12

Zeph. 3:12   “And I shall leave a people humble and poor in your midst,

                                 and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.”

The Lord is addressing Jerusalem here.

שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא־יַעֲשׂוּ עַוְלָה וְלֹא־יְדַבְּרוּ כָזָב וְלֹא־יִמָּצֵא בְּפִיהֶם לְשׁוֹן תַּרְמִית כִּי־הֵמָּה יִרְעוּ   3:13     וְרָבְצוּ וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד׃

Zeph. 3:13   “The remnant of Israel shall do no injustice or speak untruth,

                                  and a deceitful tongue shall not be found in their mouth,

                       that they shall feed and lie down,

                                  and there shall be no one making afraid.”

רָנִּי בַּת־צִיּוֹן הָרִיעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂמְחִי וְעָלְזִי בְּכָל־לֵב בַּת יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃   3:14

Zeph. 3:14   “Sing out, daughter of Zion!

                                  Shout, you of Israel!

                       Be glad and rejoice wholeheartedly,

                                  daughter of Jerusalem!”

הֵסִיר יְהוָה מִשְׁפָּטַיִךְ פִּנָּה אֹיְבֵךְ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּךְ לֹא־תִירְאִי רָע עוֹד׃   3:15

Zeph. 3:15   “The Lord removes your judgments,

                                  turns away your enemy.

                      The King of Israel, the Lord, shall be in your midst;

                                  you shall not fear evil any more.”

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יֵאָמֵר לִירוּשָׁלִַם אַל־תִּירָאִי צִיּוֹן אַל־יִרְפּוּ יָדָיִךְ׃   3:16

Zeph. 3:16   In that day He shall say to Jerusalem,

                                  “Do not fear, Zion,

                      you need not let your hands drop.”

I imagine the last line refers to hands dropping in despair and hopelessness.

יְהוָה אֱלֹהַיִךְ בְּקִרְבֵּך גִּבּוֹר יוֹשִׁיעַ יָשִׂישׂ עָלַיִךְ בְּשִׂמְחָה יַחֲרִישׁ בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ יָגִיל עָלַיִךְ בְּרִנָּה׃   3:17

Zeph. 3:17   The Lord, your God, shall be in your midst;

                                  a Mighty One, He shall save.

                       He will rejoice over you in gladness;

                                  He will be speechless in His love,

                        be glad over you with a ringing cry.

Commentators question the translation in the fourth line of the respective Hebrew, which many other translators present in a similar message.  How might the Lord be speechless, and yet be glad with a ringing cry (last line)?  At least one translation uses the word rest for be speechless, although that’s a real stretch.  Yet no more appropriate translation than what I provide appears plausible.  Moreover, being speechless in one line of biblical poetry and with a ringing cry in the next line is not too much of a stretch.

נוּגֵי מִמּוֹעֵד אָסַפְתִּי מִמֵּךְ הָיוּ מַשְׂאֵת עָלֶיהָ חֶרְפָּה׃   3:18

Zeph. 3:18   “I gather the grievers, from whom you are,

                                  out of the appointed place, bearing scorn on its behalf.”

Here I suppose the Lord is addressing the people who are still at this time in Jerusalem, and saying that the dispersed remnant, the grievers, have borne scorn on behalf of Jerusalem.

הִנְנִי עֹשֶׂה אֶת־כָּל־מְעַנַּיִךְ בָּעֵת הַהִיא וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּי אֶת־הַצֹּלֵעָה וְהַנִּדָּחָה אֲקַבֵּץ וְשַׂמְתִּים לִתְהִלָּה   3:19      וּלְשֵׁם בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ בָּשְׁתָּם׃

Zeph. 3:19   “Behold I will be dealing with all your oppressors at that time,

                                  and I will deliver she who is lame,

                       and gather she who was driven away,

                                  and I will set them whose shame had been

                       for praise and for a name throughout the entire earth.”

בָּעֵת הַהִיא אָבִיא אֶתְכֶם וּבָעֵת קַבְּצִי אֶתְכֶם כִּי־אֶתֵּן אֶתְכֶם לְשֵׁם וְלִתְהִלָּה בְּכֹל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ   3:20        בְּשׁוּבִי אֶת־שְׁבוּתֵיכֶם לְעֵינֵיכֶם אָמַר יְהוָה׃

Zeph. 3:20   “At that time I will bring you in,

                                  and at the time of My gathering you,

                       for I will set you for a name and for praise

                                 with all the peoples of the earth,

                      with My turning back your captivity in your sight,” says the Lord.

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