Chapter 1
1 The concern over
2 Because He is zealous Jehovah brings punishment… the Lord is punishing with rage. Jehovah punishes His opponents, and all His enemies He removes.
3 Jehovah is patient and great is His strength, but the [guilty] [He] will not acquit. His ways are rumbling and final, and the clouds are the dust from His feet.
4 The seas He can squeeze and dry up, and [He] desolates the
rivers.
5 Before Him the mountains have been shaken, and the hills have all trembled. Throughout the whole earth they rise at His presence, as do all those who live on it.
6 Who can stand in the [face] of His rage, and who can withstand the anger of His rage? For, His rage melts away all sovereign rulers, and because of Him the rocks split apart.
7 Yet, Jehovah is gentle to all those who wait, for Him in the day of affliction, and He knows all those who deeply respect Him.
8 By a downpour He’ll execute and consume, all those who are roused [to attack], and His enemies will be pursued by darkness.
9 What plans can you make against Jehovah? For, He Himself brings destruction. Yet, He will not punish twice, or bring affliction for the same [errors].
10 The [place] of His enemies He’ll lay bare, down to its very foundations… it will be consumed like a yew tree that’s twisted, and as stubble that’s completely dried out.
11 From you came plans against Jehovah… wicked things you have plotted against Him. 12 So, thus says Jehovah who rules many waters, ‘They will now be sent away, and not be heard of again. 13 I’ll remove his rod from [your backs], and I’ll remove all of his shackles.’
14 It was concerning you that Jehovah gave this order: ‘Mention of your name will no longer be [heard], in the [Temple] of your God; your carved and molded images I’ll destroy, then a time for your burial will be set, and it will all happen very quickly.’
15 {Look!} Upon the mountains are coming, the feet of [one] announcing good news, and with reports about peace! So, celebrate a holiday O Judah, and render all of your vows! For, they won’t enter [your gates] anymore, and they won’t see your corruption.
Chapter 2
1 He’s finished… He’s consumed… He’s ascended! He who breathed [His Breath] in your face; He who [brought] your affliction.
Watch the road and grab hold of your loins! Be very manly in strength! 2 For the insolence of Jacob was removed by Jehovah, as well as Israel’s insolence; for those who shake off shook them off, and their vine branches they ruined.
3 Under his command there are weapons and men; they laugh at fire because of their might. The chariots [will be ready] in the day he prepares, and the horsemen will be the cause of much wailing. 4 Their chariots will wreak havoc in the roads, and then they will meet in the squares. The sight of them is like lamps of fire, with lightning [trailing in their wake].
5 Then their great men will stop and consider, and in the daytime they will flee. They will be weak as they leave, and between the walls they will run… for they will send advance guards.
6 The gates of the city will then be opened wide, and palaces will all fall in ruins… 7 all their supports will be uncovered. Then she’ll appear with her servants, and be led away as though they are doves, amid the sounds of the beating of their hearts.
8
10 There was thrusting, shaking, and tumult! Hearts were breaking and knees became weak. Loins became loose, and all faces looked like burnt pots.
11 Where is the den of the lion? Where is the pasture [where she hides] her cubs? Where did the lion then go? She went to be with her cubs, and there was nothing to scare them. 12 The lion then grabbed the things her cubs needed, and for her young lions choked her prey. Their nest became filled up with game, and their home with the things she had seized.
13 ‘{Look!} I’m against you’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and all your army I’ll burn into smoke. Your lions I’ll devour by the broadsword, and I’ll destroy the game from your land, so the things that you do won’t be heard of.’
Chapter 3
1 O city of blood, and all that is false and unrighteous; you’ll no longer manage the game. 2 Then the sounds of whips and the rumbling of wheels; the pursuit upon horses, and the dust that’s stirred up by the chariots; 3 the ascending of horseman and the shine of the broadsword, as well as the flashing of shields; [this will then be all gone]. There will be multitudes of those who are killed, and there will be a very great downfall. For, there’s no limit to the nations that will come, and their bodies will grow weak from the [raping].
4 [For, you’ve been] a whore who was very gratifying, and you took the lead in making magic potions. Then in your whoring you sold them to the nations… your potions you sold to the tribes. 5 ‘So, {Look!} I’m against you,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and I will uncover your backside, then show all the nations your shame, and to all the kingdoms your dishonor.
6 ‘Because of all your uncleanness, upon you I’ll bring
disgusting things, and as an example I’ll set you. 7 Then all who see you will
leave you and say, O
8 ‘So, tune up the strings of the lyre, and prepare a
portion for Amon, the one who inhabits the rivers! For, she and her walls are
surrounded by water, and she rules to the sea. 9
10 ‘But she’ll be taken captive and carried into exile, and her infants will be dashed on the curbs of her roads. They will cast lots for her honorable things, and all her great men will be bound.
11 ‘Then you’ll be drunk and provoked, and from your enemies you’ll try to hide. 12 But, the condition of your forts will be the same as for you… they will all [eat] the same fruit. And as soon as they will be shaken, they’ll fall into the mouths of those who’ll consume [them].
13 ‘{Look!} To your enemies all your people are like women! So, they’ll open the gates of your land, and fire will burn all the bars on your gates! 14 So, draw from the water that surrounds you, in order to save all your forts! Tread the mortar and trample it with straw! Make it stronger than bricks! 15 For, fire and the sword will destroy you; it will consume you like locusts; as by grasshoppers you’ll be oppressed.
16 ‘You grew your trade above stars in the sky. But grasshoppers advanced and spread [over you]. 17 Small locusts will leap and consume, and cover your fences like frost. Then, as the sun rises they will start hopping… and since they don’t know their place woe to them!
18 ‘O king of
19 ‘[O Samaria]; no one is healing your destruction, and all your wounds
are inflamed. For those hearing the message about you, are clapping their hands
over you, because; upon whom did your evil not come?’
Notes
The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?
Throughout the Scriptures we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities, the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In an ancient time God made the sky and the ground.’
This description is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above, and the water. There was no technical understanding of earth as a planet back then, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space. That wasn’t necessary at the time. However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, Bible translators must choose the proper word to provide the right nuance in English, so readers can grasp the proper meaning of the text.
For this reason, you will find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You will also find the Greek word ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at Romans 3:5, for example, are translated as, ‘The ancient earth and sky weren’t covered by water. However, (obeying God’s instructions) they stood together between the water [that was above and below].’
Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located between the water. So, although other Bibles translate this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is really to that portion of the heavens that are close to the earth (or the sky). Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting the earth, since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth, we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not ground.
And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water: ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things they did.’
We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and a new sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’
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Jehovah
Although there are no existing ancient Christian Era Scripture (New Testament) manuscripts that contain the full name Jehovah, there are four reasons why we (and other Bible scholars and translators) believe that it existed in the original text. They are:
1. The Name is found in many of the Hebrew Scripture texts that are quoted by Jesus and his disciples
2.
Jesus mentioned God’s having a Name in ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ and at John
3. The Name still appears in a combined form in Revelation where the word hallelujah is used (Hallel means praise, u implies second person, and Jah is a shortened form of Jehovah.)
4.
The fact that Christians who lived in
That the Name Jehovah (which means, He who Causes to Be, or, The Creator) was originally in the Bible, is documented in all ancient Hebrew texts. And it is most likely that the Septuagint translation which Jesus and his Apostles used (most quotations they gave seem to have come from an ancient Septuagint) carried that Name, but probably in the four Hebrew characters that represent the English consonants YHWH.
Notice this comment by Robert Hanhart, who contributed the Introduction to ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture.’ He stated therein that, ‘All Greek biblical texts of Jewish origin found to date, whether from pre-Christian or Christian times, transmit the name יהוה Jehovah not in the form κύριος [Lord] encountered in all the LXX [Septuagint] manuscripts of Christian origin, but in some form of the Tetragrammaton.’ (See: ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture,’ 2002, book, p.7, by Martin Hengel. Introduction by Robert Hanhart, published by Baker Academic. ISBN 0-8010-2790-X).
You will see how in the book of Isaiah, for example, God is often referred to in Greek as Kyrios ho Kyrios, or, Lord the Lord (see Isaiah 48:16 LXX). And these are obvious examples of texts where God’s Name was omitted, for such sentences should clearly read Jehovah the Lord, or Lord Jehovah.
Since the words God and Lord both seem to have been substituted in the text wherever God’s Name originally appeared, it is difficult to know where to reinsert the Name in place of the titles. We could refer to the Hebrew texts and insert it wherever the Name appears there, but that would be out of harmony with the purpose of presenting this translation of the Septuagint on its own merit. So, wherever the term the Lord appears in obvious reference to God, we have decided to insert the Name Jehovah.
The rule that other translators have adopted for inserting God’s Name is to simply use it wherever the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears in the oldest existing Hebrew texts (which aren’t that old). However, it can be proven that these texts and such insertions are unreliable. For example, there is the instance when Abraham was talking to three ‘men,’ one of whom he referred to as the Lord (יהוה). In this case, Abraham was obviously speaking to a messenger from God (likely His representative, Michael), because, as God told Moses, ‘No man can see God and live.’ So, in such instances we have left the term ‘Lord’ unchanged, because that is likely the actual word Abraham used.
Also, in the writings of many of the Prophets, you will notice that they were often spoken to by God’s messengers, who they referred to as the Lord. And these messengers (angels) thereafter went on to give them messages from Jehovah. For example, notice the wording of Jeremiah 2:1 as an example: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Go and yell in the ears of Jerusalem! Tell them that Jehovah says …’ So, in this Bible you’ll see an interspersing of the term the Lord, when referring to the angel messenger, and Jehovah, when referring to God.
Probably the most striking and confusing reference to the Lord is found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and you made the heavens with your hands. But they’ll pass away while you still remain. For like clothes they will grow old. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’
As you can see, the reference to the Lord here appears to be speaking of God (Jehovah). And if you go back to the scripture Paul was quoting (Psalm 102:25-27), you’ll see that it appears to be speaking of Jehovah there also from the context of the surrounding verses, and because the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears there in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. Yet, the entire First Chapter of Hebrews is discussing Jesus and his special position before God. And Paul is clearly quoting Psalm 102:25-27 to make the point that Jesus made the heavens and the earth, that he will remain through the ages, and that he will eventually rebuild (repair) them after they grow old.
So, either Paul misapplied this scripture, which seems unlikely, or both Hebrew and Greek versions of Psalm 102 have been badly corrupted through the years, which our research proves is possible. As the result (because the answers are unclear), we have deviated from our rule of capitalizing the first letter of the words You and Your in many places in Psalm 102 and Hebrews 1, and from inserting the Name Jehovah where its use may be in doubt. However, this opens another can of worms, for it brings into question major portions of the Hebrew text and the use of the Tetragrammaton rule altogether.
It has also been suggested that since Jesus ‘shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His (God’s) being, and is responsible for everything that’s said through His power,’ as we were told at Hebrews 1:3, anything that is said about God also applies to Jesus.
Of course, the easy answer to why Paul used Psalm 102 in reference to Jesus, is because Jesus is actually Jehovah, as many theologians claim. But this is proven untrue by the other words in the same First Chapter of Hebrews. For notice the following verses:
-
Hebrews 1:3 ‘He sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places.’
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Hebrews 1:4 ‘He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.’
-
Hebrews 1:5 ‘For example, to which of His [other] messengers did He ever say, You’re my son. Today I’ve become your Father. Or, I will become his Father and he will become My son.’
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Hebrews 1:9 ‘You loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That’s why God (your God) anointed you with the oil of great joy among those who are your partners.’
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Hebrews 1:13 ‘And to which one of His messengers did He ever say, Sit here on My right until I set your enemies as a stool for your feet?’
(For more information on this subject, please see the linked document Who Was Jesus?)
The word that is translated lord (gr. kyrios) is found throughout the Bible in Greek texts and is usually used as a term of respect for men, such as a king, governor, or homeowner… and it is also frequently translated as master. So, whenever you see the term master used in the Bible, recognize that it is translated from the same Greek word as lord. And as translators, it’s easy to see how inappropriate it is to always refer to God as ‘the Lord.’ This was something that was started by later Jewish copyists, and the custom was adopted in English Bibles in the Fifteenth Century. Yet, even then the translators showed where God’s name once appeared in the Hebrew text by capitalizing all the letters, as in LORD (see Exodus 6:1). And in the King James Bible, the name Jehovah still does appear in four texts (see Exodus 6:3).
Some have objected to putting the name Jehovah
in the Greek text, for they say that that use of the Name would have
been offensive – and might have resulted in stoning – if
Jesus and his disciples had actually spoken it. Yet, the Name had to
be used when preaching to the Gentiles, or they simply wouldn’t have
known which Lord the disciples were talking about (remember, they
were polytheistic). And to call God the Lord when most gods
(and many men) were also called lord, would have been very confusing
to everyone that Jesus’ disciples preached to, both Jews and
Gentiles. So, we question whether the use of God’s Name was
considered as offensive prior to
The reason why the Name was removed from later copies of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel was because Jewish Scribes had become so awed with God’s Name that they refused to write it or say it, so, they started substituting the term ‘the Lord’ (the Master) wherever His Name was found. And since all existing versions of the Septuagint come from the Second Century or later, it isn’t surprising that God’s Name has been omitted from such modern texts. The fact that the name Jehovah was once there is well substantiated from ancient Bible manuscripts, both Hebrew and Greek. In fact, a verse in the Jewish Talmud claims that Jesus received his miraculous powers because he had sewn the Holy Name (Jehovah) into his skin, which indicates both their (his enemy’s) recognition of Jesus’ miraculous powers and the common view of God’s Name.
What about the Christian Era Scriptures?
Recognize the fact that most early Christian Congregations
(especially the one in
Perhaps Christians would more deeply appreciate the need to use the name Jehovah, rather than the title ‘Lord,’ when referring to God, if they understood that the term ‘the Lord’ in the language of the Canaanites was ‘Baal’ or ‘Beel.’ And the same term in modern-day Arabic is ‘Allah.’
Then, what of those who prefer a more exact Hebrew pronunciation of the Name (which is Yahweh, Yahwah, or Yehwah)? That is commendable if their reasons are consistent. For, if their concern is to properly pronounce Bible names (not a hatred for God’s name as it is pronounced in English), then they will also be found promoting the proper Hebrew pronunciation of His son’s name, Ieshuah, or Iehoshuah… or at least the proper pronunciation of his name in Greek, Iesous.
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