Again Revised Standard Version keeps the Hebrew sentence structure, continuing the sentence begun in verse 4. Good News Translation begins a new sentence and once more repeats the verb “I will destroy” from verse 4. (For comments on “destroy” see verse 3.)

The people condemned this time are those who, while they may not have taken up the worship of other gods, are no longer active in the worship of the LORD; they have turned back from following the LORD. In many languages one cannot speak of following a person in the sense of “serving.” In such a case translators may say “going with the LORD” or “serving the LORD.” The whole sentence may be restructured as “I will destroy those who have stopped serving me.” For the LORD’s reference to himself in the third person, see comments on verse 5.

In the second half of the verse, Revised Standard Version translates literally the rather technical terms of the Hebrew, seek the LORD and inquire of him. These are expressed in clearer language in Good News Translation‘s “come to me” and “ask me to guide them.” In certain languages it will be helpful to make these last two clauses into a separate sentence and say “These people do not come to me or ask me to guide them.”

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 .