Zephaniah 3:3

Her princes ¹  are as fierce as roaring lions; ²  her rulers ³  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ⁴  who completely devour their prey by morning. ⁵ 

Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.

Her princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning.

Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims––out for everything they can get. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.

Her very own leaders are rapacious lions, Her judges are rapacious timber wolves out every morning prowling for a fresh kill.

Her rulers are like loud-voiced lions in her; her judges are wolves of the evening, crushing up the bones before the morning.

The officials within it are roaring lions; its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning.

Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.

Her princes ¹  are as fierce as roaring lions; ²  her rulers ³  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ⁴  who completely devour their prey by morning. ⁵ 

¹ tn Or “officials.”

² tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

³ tn Traditionally “judges.”

⁴ tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.