Verses 1 and 2 give the negative, warning side of the call to repentance. Verse 3 gives the positive side in language that recalls that of Amos 5.6, 14-15. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his commands: the expression Seek the LORD means “worship and obey the LORD.” The way in which this can be done is shown in more detail in the third line, seek righteousness, seek humility. The phrase humble of the land is practically a technical term to describe the minority who remain faithful to the LORD. In some languages “you humble people of the land” will be rendered as “you people of the land who trust the LORD.” In other languages the phrase will be translated as “all you who submit to the LORD,” “you people of the land who put your hearts in the LORD,” or “… who keep your hearts resting in the LORD.” The proof of those people’s dependence on the LORD is that they do his commands, even though the majority of the people ignore or reject them. These are the people Jesus spoke about in the Beatitudes, especially in Matthew 5.3, 5, 6. In some languages the clauses in this sentence may be ordered in a different way: “All you people of the land who trust in the LORD and obey the LORD’s commands, you must worship him.”
Seek righteousness, seek humility: this part of the verse in Hebrew is somewhat parallel to the first part, with repetition of the words seek and humble/humility. Good News Translation expands to “Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the LORD.” One may also say “Do right (or, correct) things, and keep your hearts humble (or, low) before the LORD” or “Do the things which the LORD wants you to do, and do not be proud (or, have swollen hearts) before him.”
Perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the wrath of the LORD: the prophet holds out some hope for the humble. Perhaps means that it is possible but not certain that the LORD will save them when his punishment falls upon his people (compare Amos 5.15). At any rate, no one can claim salvation as a right.
The word translated be hidden is a figure of speech which is not sufficiently clear on its own in English, so Good News Translation drops the figure and states the meaning in nonfigurative language as “escape punishment.” Most other modern English translations use some form of the word “shelter” which gives both the idea of hiding and that of protection (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). If translators can find a term with these implications in their own language, it will be suitable here, but if they cannot, then it is best to use nonfigurative language, as Good News Translation does.
The day of the wrath of the LORD refers to the same event as “the (great) day of the LORD” in 1.7, 14 and makes it even clearer that this will be a day of judgment. In English this longer expression is a little clumsy, and Good News Translation expresses it in more natural terms as “on the day when the LORD shows his anger.” It is also possible to translate this last sentence as “perhaps you will escape on the day when the LORD punishes mankind” or “perhaps you will not be punished by the LORD on the day when he punishes all people.”
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 .