From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ These are the words of Jehovah that came to ZephaniJah (the son of Cushi, grandson of GedaliJah, and great-grandson of AmariJah, the son of HezekiJah) in the days of JosiJah (the son of Amon) the king of Judah.

² ‘When it comes to being in want, let all on the face of the earth be in want,’ says Jehovah! ³ ‘Let men and cattle be in want; let things that fly in the sky be in want, as well as the fish in the sea. May the irreverent all become ill… because of their lawless deeds, from the land I’ll remove them,’ says Jehovah.

⁴ ‘Then I will stretch My handout on Judah, and on those in Jerusalem. The name of Baal I’ll remove from this place, as well as the names of their priests, along with the things dedicated [to him]. ⁵ [I’ll remove] those who bow on their roofs, to the armies of the skies, as well as those who bow low, and swear their oaths by their Lord, and those who swear oaths by their king… ⁶ those who have turned from Jehovah, and those not seeking the Lord… all those who haven’t stuck close.

⁷ ‘Be cautious in the presence of Jehovah [our] God, for the Day of the Lord is now near! Jehovah has readied His [great] sacrifice, and His Chosen One He’s made holy. ⁸ So, the day of His sacrifice will soon come, when He’ll take vengeance on the rulers, on the house of the king, and on all those who dress in foreign clothes.

⁹ ‘When I take vengeance, you will see it, for it will come to their gates in that day, and upon those who are filling the [Temple], of Jehovah their God, with their treachery and irreverence.

¹⁰ ‘And it will be in that day,’ says Jehovah, ‘that there’ll come the sounds of cries from the gates… [the sounds] of men being stabbed through, and shrieks of women in the second quarter, as well as great battles in the hills.’

¹¹ ‘So wail, all you who now dwell there, in this place that will be cut to pieces. For, [as was true of] the people of CanaAn, those who carry silver will be slaughtered!

¹² ‘And in that day; I will search through Jerusalem with a lamp, and take vengeance upon all the men, who’ve paid no attention to My instructions, and those who say in their hearts, Jehovah won’t do either evil or good!

¹³ ‘Then the power to ravage will be given, and to bring all the houses to ruin. For, you will build homes in which you won’t live, and you’ll plant vineyards but not drink the wine.

¹⁴ ‘The Lord’s Great Day is now near, and it comes very quickly! The sounds of the Day of Jehovah, are ordered to be bitter and harsh.

¹⁵ ‘That Day is a great day of anger; a day of affliction and distress; a day of misery and of extinction; a day of dimness and darkness; a day of clouds and [thick] fog.

¹⁶ ‘It is a day of the trumpets, and cries against the fortified cities, as well as against their high corners. ¹⁷ For I will squeeze out the men, and they will walk like the blind, for against Jehovah they’ve sinned.

‘So, He’ll pour out their blood like the dust, and [pour] their flesh out like dung. ¹⁸ Then their silver and gold will not save them, in the Day of the rage of the Lord, for the fire of His zeal will consume the whole land.

‘With diligence He will complete it, upon all who dwell in this land.

Chapter 2

¹ ‘Be gathered, then be bound together, O you nation that’s failed to learn, ² before you this day will pass like a flower… before Jehovah’s wrath comes upon you… before the Day of the Lord’s wrath and rage.

³ ‘Seek the Lord all you meek of the earth! Seek what is righteous and fair; give them all truthful answers, so you’ll be hidden in the Day of God’s wrath. ⁴ For, Gaza will then be plundered, and AshKelon will be extinct. AshDod will fall at mid-day, and Ekron will be rooted [from the land].

⁵ ‘Woe to you in the lands by the sea, and all you who’ve [moved there] from Crete. For the word of the Lord is against you, O CanaAn in the land of Philistines; and I will destroy the place where you dwell. ⁶ Crete will become a pasture for flocks, and a haven for sheep. ⁷ And for those who live in the land by the sea (those who are left of Judah’s house); in AshKelon’s homes sheep will pasture; and in the afternoons they will rest there. Then Jehovah will visit Judah’s sons, and from captivity He’ll return them.

⁸ ‘I’ve heard the scorning of Moab, and of the ill-treatment by Ammon’s sons, when they berated My people, and pushed themselves over My borders. ⁹ Because of this, as I live,’ says Israel’s God, Jehovah of armies; ‘Moab will soon be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like GomorRah. Damascus will also come to its end, and be heaps of salt through the age! They’ll be plundered by the remnants of My people, and be inherited by what’s left of My nation. ¹⁰ This will happen because of their insolence… because they berated and held themselves high, over Jehovah the Almighty.

¹¹ ‘Then before them the Lord will appear, and destroy all the gods of the nations on earth. Then they will bow down before Him, each one within his own land, and in all the islands of the nations.

¹² ‘And you, O Ethiopians, will then be slain by My broadsword!

¹³ ‘He’ll stretch out His hand toward the north, and the Assyrians will all be destroyed, turning Nineveh into a dry desert. ¹⁴ Flocks will then feed in her midst, with the wild beasts of the land. Chameleons and hedgehogs will live in her fretwork, wild beasts will roar in her ditches, and crows will nest in her gates… though she was once a tall cedar.

¹⁵ ‘This is the city that paid no attention, and one that now dwells in hope. For, she has said in her heart, I am, and none will replace me! But it will soon all be gone… it will become a place for wild beasts; so all who then travel through her, will wring their hands and then whistle.

Chapter 3

¹ ‘O [Jerusalem] you prominent city; O you, my dove whom I ransomed; ² She wouldn’t listen to Your voice, and Your instructions she failed to follow… upon Jehovah she wouldn’t rely… she refused to return to her God.

³ ‘Her rulers are like roaring lions; her judges are like Arabian wolves… for they leave nothing ‘til the morning. ⁴ Her prophets are despisers blown by the winds; her priests profane Holy Things, and they have no respect for the Law.

⁵ ‘But in her midst Jehovah is righteous, and no way will He do what’s unjust. Each morning He brings justice and light… nothing is hidden before Him. He doesn’t take to injustice, or injustice that’s brought on by fights.

⁶ ‘So, I will tear down all of their proud ones, and destroy all of their niches. All their roads I’ll wipe away, and no one will go through their cities, since all of their cities will have vanished… none will exist and no one will live there.

⁷ ‘I told you to fear Me and do as I say, and then you’d not be destroyed. So, prepare for the vengeance I’m bringing upon her… and it’s best to rise early, for even her gleanings will be ruined,’ says Jehovah.

⁸ ‘Then I’ll pass judgment on the gathering of nations; I’ll take their kings and pour on them My rage… yes, all the anger of My rage. And the fire of My zeal will consume the whole earth.

⁹ ‘Then I’ll bring one tongue to that generation, so all can call on the Name of the Lord, and serve Him under one yoke.

¹⁰ ‘From the ends of Ethiopia’s rivers, I’ll welcome back those who were scattered, and they’ll bring sacrifices to Me.

¹¹ ‘In that Day, you’ll not be disgraced, by the disrespect you once showed Me. For, then I will remove, your insolence and careless attitudes, and of My Holy Mountain you will then boast.

¹² ‘I’ll leave the meek and humble among you (those who reverence the Name of the Lord). ¹³ And this remnant of Israel won’t be unrighteous; they will not speak of vain things, and no way will their tongues then deceive. So, they will eat as they lie in their beds, and no one will make them afraid.

¹⁴ ‘Rejoice, O daughter of Zion… O daughter of Jerusalem shout aloud! With your whole hearts be joyful… O daughter of Jerusalem find delight! ¹⁵ For, Jehovah has removed your offenses, and ransomed you from your enemy’s hands. Jehovah (the King of Israel) is in your midst, so you’ll not see bad things anymore!

¹⁶ ‘To Jerusalem, Jehovah will say in that time, Be courageous O Zion, and don’t let your hands become weary! ¹⁷ For, Jehovah your God is among you… the Mighty One will bring you salvation! He will bring gladness among you, and in His affection revive you; He’ll be glad over you with delight, as [He is] in the days of your holiday feasts.

¹⁸ ‘I’ll gather all those who are broken, and woe to any who scorn them!

¹⁹ ‘Look! I will then act among you… on your behalf in that time. I’ll save she who was once under pressure, and take back she whom I thrust away. Then, throughout the earth I will make them, [a people] for boasting and fame. ²⁰ For, her enemies will all be disgraced in that time, and whatever you think good I will do; for, in that time I’ll take you back, and make you famous and a reason to boast, among all the peoples of the earth; when, before their eyes I return you, from your captivity,’ says Jehovah.

Notes

Zeal

At Psalm 37:8 we read, ‘Stop being angry and abandon your rage. Don’t allow zeal to make you act wicked’ (yes, we know, the word should be wickedly, but this is poetic license). However, those words could also be translated as, ‘Do not allow jealously to cause you to act wickedly,’ because the Greek word zelos can either be translated as zealous or as jealous, depending on the circumstances, for both words mean the same thing. Yet, the two words imply different things in English.

Zeal is usually thought of as something good… something that all Christians should have, as in zeal for God and righteousness. And jealously is thought of as something bad… as wanting something that belongs to someone else. Yet, God may be spoken of as being jealous over His Name and His position as God, so jealously isn’t always a bad thing. And we can have zeal for things that are ours and we are proud of (which is not bad), and be jealous of things that belong to others (which is bad). So, the same Greek word (zelos) may be correctly translated as zeal in one place, and as jealously in another, depending on the context.

Then, is it proper for a man to be jealous of his wife, or for a wife to be jealous of her husband? No, we should never be jealous of each other, but for each other. We shouldn’t want what the other has, but we should have a burning zeal for each other. So, if one has good reason to worry about losing the love of the other, that is zeal. However, if such concern is baseless, that is wicked suspicion, not jealously.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Why the Name Changes?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to ‘the Day of Jehovah,’ and ‘the Day of the Lord.’ Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), ‘This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of his Anointed One began.’

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God’s Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the authorization for Jesus (the Lord) to rule appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord’s Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John’s words (at Revelation 1:10), ‘Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord’s Day.’

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of ‘The Great Babylon’ (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ (acceptance of the rest of the Anointed ones to heaven?), the Battle of Armageddon, the abyssing of the Opposer and his messengers, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and which is thereafter followed by the descent of ‘New Jerusalem’ to the earth, and the making of the ‘new earth and sky’ (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, ‘the Day of the Lord’ appears to start with the destruction of Jerusalem by worldly armies (the destruction of The Great Babylon?), and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). And in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God’s Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

Peter wrote in length about this period, and at 2 Peter 3:7 he wrote: ‘What’s [now] in store for the earth and skies is fire, which [will come] during the Judgment Day, when godless men will be destroyed.’ And although many misinterpret these words as describing just the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon, the context shows that he was looking at a much longer period of time, the total ‘Lord’s Day’ or ‘Judgment Day’… the ‘thousand-year’ period spoken of at Revelation Chapter Twenty. For, what he said about the burning of the earth and sky and of the ‘new earth and sky’ corresponds exactly with the end of the thousand years and the promises found at Revelation 21:1.

So, from the periods described in the Revelation; near the end of Jesus’ thousand-year reign, there will be a judgment of the wicked (those who join with Gog of Magog) and they will be destroyed. Then there will be a ‘new earth and a new sky.’ What does that really mean? Perhaps we’ll all have to live to see it to be sure.

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