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Thursday, October 24th, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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New Living Translation

Zephaniah 3:7

I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won't need to strike again, destroying their homes.' But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Fear of God;   Rising;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Correction;   Early Rising;   Penitence-Impenitence;   Rising, Early;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflictions of the Wicked, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Testimony;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Zephaniah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Zephaniah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Zephaniah (1);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - How;   Zephaniah, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
I tell you this so that you will learn a lesson. I want you to fear and respect me. If you do this, your home will not be destroyed, and I will not have to punish you the way I planned." But those evil people only wanted to do more of the same evil things they had already done!
New American Standard Bible
"I said, 'You will certainly revere Me, You will accept discipline.' So her dwelling will not be eliminated In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her. Instead, they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
New Century Version
I said, ‘Surely now Jerusalem will respect me and will accept my teaching.' Then the place where they lived would not be destroyed, and I would not have to punish them. But they were still eager to do evil in everything they did.
Update Bible Version
I said, Only fear me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, [according to] all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
Webster's Bible Translation
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, however I punished them: but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings.
Amplified Bible
"I said, 'Most certainly you will [reverently] fear Me; Accept correction.' So Jerusalem's dwelling will not be cut off In accordance with all that I have appointed concerning her [punishment], But they were eager [even rising early] to make all their deeds corrupt.
English Standard Version
I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.' But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
World English Bible
I said, "Just fear me. Receive correction, so that her dwelling won't be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her." But they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y seide, Netheles thou schalt drede me, thou schalt resseyue techyng; and the dwellyng place therof schal not perische, for alle thingis in whiche Y visitide it; netheles ful eerli thei risynge han corrupt alle her thouytis.
English Revised Version
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive correction; so her dwelling should not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
Berean Standard Bible
I said, 'Surely you will fear Me and accept correction.' Then her dwelling place would not be cut off despite all for which I punished her. But they rose early to corrupt all their deeds.
Contemporary English Version
God felt certain that Jerusalem would learn to respect and obey him. Then he would hold back from punishing the city and not wipe it out. But everyone there was eager to start sinning again.
American Standard Version
I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
Bible in Basic English
I said, Certainly you will go in fear of me, and come under my training, so that whatever I may send on her may not be cut off before her eyes: but they got up early and made all their works evil.
Complete Jewish Bible
I said, ‘Surely now you will fear me, you will receive correction'; so that her place will not be cut off by all the punishments I brought on her. But no, they only grew all the more eager to be corrupt in all that they do.
Darby Translation
I said, Only fear me, receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, howsoever I may punish her. But they rose early, they corrupted all their doings.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I said: 'Surely thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, despite all that I have visited upon her'; but they betimes corrupted all their doings.
King James Version (1611)
I said, Surely thou wilt feare mee: thou wilt receiue instruction: so their dwelling should not bee cut off, howsoeuer I punished them: but they rose early, & corrupted all their doings.
New Life Bible
I said, ‘For sure you will honor Me with fear and receive teaching.' Then her place would not be destroyed and she would not be punished as I had planned. But they were quick to make all their works sinful.
New Revised Standard
I said, "Surely the city will fear me, it will accept correction; it will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon it." But they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I said, Surely thou wilt feare me: thou wilt receiue instruction: so their dwelling shoulde not be destroyed howsoeuer I visited them, but they rose earely and corrupted all their workes.
George Lamsa Translation
I said, Surely they will worship me, they will accept discipline from me; and she will not fail to see of all that I have decreed concerning her; but they hastened and corrupted all their doings.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I said, Surely thou wilt reverence, Me, wilt accept correction, lest her abode, should be cut of, howsoever I had punished her; but, in truth, they soon corrupted all their deeds.
Douay-Rheims Bible
I said: Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive correction: and her dwelling shall not perish, for all things wherein I have visited her: but they rose early, and corrupted all their thoughts.
Revised Standard Version
I said, 'Surely she will fear me, she will accept correction; she will not lose sight of all that I have enjoined upon her.' But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt."
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I sayde vnto them, O feare me, and be content to be refourmed, so their dwelling shoulde not be destroyed howe soeuer I visited them: But neuerthelesse, they rose vp early, and corrupted all their workes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I said, But do ye fear me, and receive instruction, and ye shall not be cut off from the face of the land for all the vengeance I have brought upon her: prepare thou, rise early: all their produce is spoilt.
Good News Translation
I thought that then my people would have reverence for me and accept my discipline, that they would never forget the lesson I taught them. But soon they were behaving as badly as ever.
Christian Standard Bible®
I thought: You will certainly fear meand accept correction.Then her dwelling placewould not be cut offbased on all that I had allocated to her.However, they became more corruptin all their actions.
Hebrew Names Version
I said, "Just fear me. Receive correction, so that her dwelling won't be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her." But they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
King James Version
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
Lexham English Bible
I have said, ‘Surely she will fear me; she will accept discipline. Then her dwelling place will not be cut down, nor all that I have brought upon her.' Surely they rise early; they make all their deeds corrupt.
Literal Translation
I said, Surely you will fear Me; you will receive instruction; then her dwelling shall not be cut off, all that I appointed for her. But they rose up early; they corrupted all their doings.
Young's Literal Translation
I have said: Only, ye do fear Me, Ye do accept instruction, And her habitation is not cut off, All that I have appointed for her, But they have risen early, They have corrupted all their doings.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I sayde vnto them: O feare me, and be cotent to be refourmed. That their dwellinge shulde not be destroyed, and that there shulde happen vnto them none of these thinges, wherwith I shal vyset the. But neuertheles they stonde vp early, to folowe the filthynes of their owne ymaginacions.
THE MESSAGE
"I thought, ‘Surely she'll honor me now, accept my discipline and correction, Find a way of escape from the trouble she's in, find relief from the punishment I'm bringing.' But it didn't faze her. Bright and early she was up at it again, doing the same old things.
New English Translation
I thought, ‘Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!' If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did.
New King James Version
I said, "Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction'-- So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I said, 'Surely you will revere Me, Accept instruction.' So her dwelling will not be cut off According to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
Legacy Standard Bible
I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,Receive discipline.'So her abode will not be cut offAccording to all that I have appointed concerning her.But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

Contextual Overview

1 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime! 2 No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God. 3 Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey. 4 Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God's instructions. 5 But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail. But the wicked know no shame. 6 "I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin. There are no survivors— none at all. 7 I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won't need to strike again, destroying their homes.' But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Surely: Zephaniah 3:2, Isaiah 5:4, Isaiah 63:8, Jeremiah 8:6, Jeremiah 36:3, Luke 19:42-44, 2 Peter 3:9

so: Jeremiah 7:7, Jeremiah 17:25-27, Jeremiah 25:5, Jeremiah 38:17

howsoever: 2 Chronicles 28:6-8, 2 Chronicles 32:1, 2 Chronicles 32:2, 2 Chronicles 33:11, 2 Chronicles 36:3-10

they: Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2

corrupted: Genesis 6:12, Deuteronomy 4:16, Hosea 9:9

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:5 - They have corrupted themselves Nehemiah 1:7 - corruptly Psalms 99:8 - thou wast Jeremiah 5:3 - thou hast stricken Jeremiah 6:8 - Be thou Jeremiah 7:28 - correction Jeremiah 17:23 - nor Ezekiel 6:6 - all your Ezekiel 24:13 - because Ezekiel 30:3 - the time Hosea 10:9 - did Matthew 21:37 - They 1 Corinthians 10:6 - these Revelation 2:22 - except

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
Genesis 3:5
"God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
Genesis 3:10
He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."
Genesis 3:11
"Who told you that you were naked?" the Lord God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"
Deuteronomy 28:34
You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you.
2 Kings 6:20
As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "O Lord , now open their eyes and let them see." So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.
Isaiah 28:20
The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
Isaiah 59:6
Their webs can't be made into clothing, and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is filled with sin, and violence is their trademark.
Luke 16:23
and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I said, Surely thou wilt fear me,.... This is spoken after the manner of men; as if God should say within himself, and reason in his own mind, upon a view of things, surely the people of the Jews will take notice of my judgments executed on other nations, and will stand in awe of me on account of them; and fear to offend me, lest the same calamities should come upon them; this, humanly speaking, might be reasonably thought would be the case:

thou wilt receive instruction; by these judgments, taking warning by them; repent, reform, and amend, and thereby escape the like:

so their dwelling should not be cut off; or, "its dwelling"; the dwelling of the city of Jerusalem, the houses in it; the dwelling places of the inhabitants of it; the singular being put for the plural; unless the temple should be meant, as Abendana interprets it; and so it may be rendered "his dwelling" c; their house, which was left desolate to them, because they feared not the Lord; nor received instruction by the example of others; nor repented of their sins, and altered their course of life; which, if done, their dwelling would have been preserved, Matthew 23:38:

howsoever I punished them; or "visited" d them; chastised them in a gentle manner, in order to reform them, but in vain. Some render it, "all which I committed to them" e; the oracles of God, his word and ordinances, his promises, and the blessings of his goodness, which he deposited with them, in order to do them good, and bring them to repentance. The Targum is,

"all the good things which I have said unto them (or promised them), I will bring unto them;''

and to the same sense Jarchi. The goodness of God should have brought them to repentance, yet it did not:

but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings; they were diligent and industrious eager and early, in the commission of sins, in doing corrupt and abominable works; receiving and tenaciously adhering to the traditions of the elders; seeking to establish their own righteousness, not submitting to Christ's; rejecting him the true Messiah; blaspheming his doctrines, despising his ordinances, and persecuting his people; besides other vices, which abounded among them; for which the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost, as expressed in the following verse, Zephaniah 3:8.

c מעונה "habitaculum; [vel] habitatio ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Burkius "mansio ejus", Cocceius. d פקדתי "visitavi", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus. e "Omne id quod commendavi illi", Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I said, surely thou wilt fear Me - God speaks of things here, as they are in their own nature. “It could not but be,” that in the very presence of the Hand of God, destroying others but as yet sparing them, they must learn to fear Him; they must stand in awe of Him for His judgments on others; they must be in filial fear of Him for His loving longsuffering toward themselves. “Thou ‘wilt’ receive instruction,” corrected and taught through God’s correction of others and the lighter judgments on themselves, as Solomon says, “I looked, I set my heart: I saw, I received instruction” Proverbs 24:32. He saith, “receive,” making it man’s free act. God brings it near, commends it to him, exhorts, entreats, but leaves him the awful power to “receive” or to refuse. God speaks with a wonderful tenderness. “Surely thou ‘wilt’ stand in awe of Me; thou ‘wilt’ receive instruction; thou wilt now do what hitherto thou hast refused to do.” There was (so to speak) nothing else left for them, in sight of those judgments. He pleads their own interests. The lightning was ready to fall. The prophet had, in vision, seen the enemy within the city. Yet even now God lingers, as it were, “If thou hadst known in this thy day, the things which are for thy peace” Luke 19:42.

So their - (her) dwelling should not be cut off His own holy land which He had given them. A Jew paraphrases , “And He will not cut off their dwellings from the land of the house of My Shechinah” (God’s visible presence in glory). Judah, who was before addressed “thou,” is now spoken of in the third person, “her;” and this also had wonderful tenderness. It is as though God were musing over her and the blessed fruits of her return to Him; “it shall not be needed to correct her further.” “Howsoever I punished them:” literally, “all” (that is, ‘all’ the offences) “which I visited upon her,” as God saith of Himself, “‘visiting’ the ‘sins’ of the fathers ‘upon’ the children” Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18, and this is mostly the meaning of the words “visit upon.” Amid and not withstanding all the offences which God had already chastised, He, in His love and compassion, still longeth, not utterly to remove them from His presence, if they would but receive instruction “now;” but they would not. “How often,” our Lord says, “would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not” Matthew 23:37. “But indeed,” “probably, Of a truth” (it is a word strongly affirming what follows) “they rose early, they corrupted all their doings;” God gave them His warnings, awaited the result; they lost no time, they began with morning light; they hasted to rise, burdened themselves, made sure of having the whole day before them, to - seek God as He had sent His prophets, “rising early and sending them?” Jeremiah 7:13, Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 11:7; Jeremiah 26:5; Jeremiah 29:19.

No, nor even simply to do ill, but of set purpose. to do, not this or that corruptly, but “to corrupt all their doings.” Jerome: “They with diligence and eagerness rose early, that, with the same haste wherewith they ought to have returned to Me, they might shew forth in deed what they had conceived amiss in their mind.” There are as many aggravations of their sin as there are words. The four Hebrew words bespeak eagerness, willfulness, completeness enormity, in sin. They “rose early,” themselves deliberately “corrupted,” of their own mind made offensive, “all” their “doings,” not slight acts, but “deeds,” great works done with a high hand .

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 7. Surely thou wilt fear me — After so many displays of my sovereign power and judgments.

But they rose early — And instead of returning to God, they practised every abomination. They were diligent to find out times and places for their iniquity. This is the worst state of man.


 
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