The verse begins in Hebrew with the exclamation translated Behold in Revised Standard Version. Since this is no longer used in modern spoken English, other versions have tried to convey the same effect of catching attention, but by different means. Thus New American Bible begins with “Yes,” and New English Bible has “see” later in the sentence. Good News Translation does not use a separate word but rather uses punctuation to achieve the same effect. It makes a separate sentence of the phrase at that time and adds an exclamation mark “The time is coming!”
The statement I will deal with all your oppressors has an overtone of threat (compare Ezek 20.44), and this is made explicit in Good News Translation as “I will punish your oppressors” (compare Jerusalem Bible). Your oppressors may be expressed as “those who oppress you” or “those who treat you cruelly.”
The next two clauses use the figure of a shepherd caring for sheep, to express what the LORD will do for his people: I will save the lame and gather the outcast. The language is closely similar to that used in Micah 4.6-7. The word translated outcast in Revised Standard Version is often used to refer to the people who were in exile, and Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “I will … bring the exiles home.” However, the word translated lame in Revised Standard Version is the same in Good News Translation. This means that Good News Translation retains the figure of speech in one clause and drops it in the other. It may be better for translators either to expand these two clauses and give both the figures and their meanings, or else to drop the figures and state the meanings in nonfigurative language. A translation model of the former can be “I will rescue the people who are as helpless as lame sheep, and will bring home those who, like scattered sheep, have been driven into exile.” For those who wish to state the meaning in nonfigurative language, a model can be “I will rescue the people who are helpless, and bring home those who have been driven into exile.”
I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth: the last clause promises that the people will have a new reputation to match their new status. Because of their exile, they had been mocked and scorned by other nations (compare Obadiah 10-14), but once restored by the LORD, they will have praise and renown in all the earth. Good News Translation turns this into two clauses and says “I will turn their shame to honor, and all the world will praise them.” In certain languages it will be necessary to rephrase these final clauses and say “I will make people honor them so that they will no longer be ashamed.”
The word translated their shame in Revised Standard Version makes the sentence a little awkward grammatically in Hebrew. Some scholars think that it is wrong and should be replaced by some words from verse 20 which are somewhat similar in spelling. These words are translated “when I restore your fortunes” in Revised Standard Version. This view is adopted in Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible, and thus Jerusalem Bible for instance has here “when I restore their fortunes.” However, the Hebrew text can be understood as it stands, and there is no need for translators to make this alteration.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Zephaniah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .