1Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Sefania a ɔyɛ Kusi ba, Gedalia ba, Amaria ba, Hesekia ba nkyɛn ni. Ɛbaa Yudahene Yosia a ɔyɛ Amon ba no bere so.
Atemmu A Etia Yuda
2“Mɛpra biribiara afi asase so”
nea Awurade se ni,
3“Mɛpra nnipa ne mmoa nyinaa;
mɛpra nnomaa a wɔwɔ wim
ne mpataa a wɔwɔ po mu nyinaa.
Atirimɔdenfo benya wura a esum hɔ nko ara,
sɛ mesɛe adesamma a wɔwɔ asase yi so a,”
nea Awurade se ni.
4“Mɛteɛ me nsa wɔ Yuda
ne wɔn a wɔte Yerusalem nyinaa so;
na mɛsɛe Baal ho biribiara a aka wɔ ha,
na masɛe abosonsomfo ne akɔmfo asɔfo no din
5wɔn a wɔkotow sɔre wɔn adan atifi,
de sɔre abɔde a ɛwɔ wim,
wɔn a wɔkotow de Awurade ka ntam
na wɔde Molek nso ka ntam,
6wɔn nso a wogyae Awurade akyidi
na wɔnhwehwɛ Awurade anaa wommisa nʼase.”
7Monyɛ komm wɔ Asafo Awurade anim,
efisɛ, Awurade da no abɛn.
Awurade asiesie afɔrebɔde;
wadwira wɔn a wato nsa afrɛ wɔn no ho.
8“Awurade afɔrebɔ da no,
mɛtwe mmapɔmma
ne ahenemma
ne wɔn a wɔhyehyɛ
ananafo ntade nyinaa aso.
9Saa da no mɛtwe wɔn
a wɔkwati apongua no nyinaa aso.
Wɔn a wɔde akakabensɛm
ne asisi hyehyɛ wɔn abosomfi amaama no.
10“Saa da no,”
sɛnea Awurade se ni,
“Osu befi Mpataa Pon ano,
agyaadwotwa befi Atenae Foforo
na nnyigyei a ano yɛ den afi nkoko no so aba.
11Muntwa adwo, mo a mote adetɔnbea hɔ no
wɔbɛtɔre wɔn a mo ne wɔn di gua ase,
dwetɛ aguadifo nyinaa nso wɔbɛsɛe wɔn.
12Mede akanea bekyin ahwehwɛ Yerusalem mu
na matwe wɔn a wogyaagyaa wɔn ho aso,
wɔn a wɔte sɛ bobesa puw no,
a wodwen se, ‘Awurade renyɛ hwee
sɛ ɛyɛ papa anaa bɔne no.’
13Wɔbɛfom wɔn ahonyade,
na wɔabubu wɔn afi agu.
Wobesisi afi, nanso wɔrentena mu
wɔbɛyɛ bobe mfuw
nanso wɔrennom mu nsa.”
Awurade Da Kɛse No
14Awurade da kɛse no abɛn,
abɛn na ɛreba ntɛm so.
Tie! Osu a wobesu Awurade da no bɛyɛ yaw,
ɔkofo a ɔwɔ hɔ nso nteɛmu bɛyɛ saa ara.
15Saa da no bɛyɛ abufuw da,
ɛyɛ ahoyeraw ne ɔyaw da;
ɛyɛ amanehunu ne ɔsɛe da,
ɛyɛ esum ne kusukuukuu da
ɛyɛ omununkum ne kusuuyɛ da,
16ɛyɛ ntorobɛntohyɛn ne ɔko nteɛmu
a etia nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ bammɔ
ne ntwɔtwɔw so abantenten da.
17“Mede awerɛhow bɛba nnipa no so
na wɔbɛnantew sɛ anifuraefo,
efisɛ wɔayɛ bɔne atia Awurade.
Wobehwie wɔn mogya agu sɛ mfutuma,
na wɔn ayamde nso sɛ atantanne.
18Wɔn dwetɛ anaa sikakɔkɔɔ
rentumi nnye wɔn nkwa
wɔ Awurade abufuw da no.”
Ne ninkutwe mu gya no
bɛhyew ɔman no nyinaa,
na ɔbɛma asase no so tefo nyinaa nkwa
aba awiei mpofirim.
1The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
Judgment on the whole earth in the day of the Lord
2‘I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,’
declares the Lord.
3‘I will sweep away both man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea –
and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.’1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
‘When I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth,’
declares the Lord,
4‘I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,
the very names of the idolatrous priests –
5those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
and who also swear by Molek,1:5 Hebrew Malkam
6those who turn back from following the Lord
and neither seek the Lord nor enquire of him.’
7Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,
for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
he has consecrated those he has invited.
8‘On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
I will punish the officials
and the king’s sons
and all those clad
in foreign clothes.
9On that day I will punish
all who avoid stepping on the threshold,1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
who fill the temple of their gods
with violence and deceit.
10‘On that day,’
declares the Lord,
‘a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,
wailing from the New Quarter,
and a loud crash from the hills.
11Wail, you who live in the market district1:11 Or the Mortar;
all your merchants will be wiped out,
all who trade with1:11 Or in silver will be destroyed.
12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those who are complacent,
who are like wine left on its dregs,
who think, “The Lord will do nothing,
either good or bad.”
13Their wealth will be plundered,
their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
they will not drink the wine.’
14The great day of the Lord is near –
near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15That day will be a day of wrath –
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness –
16a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.
17‘I will bring such distress on all people
that they will grope about like those who are blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like dung.
18Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.’
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole earth will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth.
