1Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Sefania a ɔyɛ Kusi ba, Gedalia ba, Amaria ba, Hesekia ba nkyɛn nie. Ɛbaa Yudahene Yosia a ɔyɛ Amon ba berɛ so.
Atemmuo A Ɛtia Yuda
2“Mɛpra biribiara afiri asase so”
deɛ Awurade seɛ nie,
3“Mɛpra nnipa ne mmoa nyinaa;
mɛpra nnomaa a wɔwɔ ewiem
ne mpataa a wɔwɔ ɛpo mu nyinaa.
Atirimuɔdenfoɔ bɛnya wira a ɛsum hɔ nko ara
sɛ mesɛe adasamma a wɔwɔ asase yi so a,”
deɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
4“Mɛtene me nsa wɔ Yuda
ne wɔn a wɔte Yerusalem nyinaa so;
na mɛsɛe Baal ho biribiara a aka wɔ ha,
na masɛe abosonsomfoɔ ne abosomfoɔ asɔfoɔ no din
5wɔn a wɔkoto sɔre wɔn adan atifi,
de sɔre abɔdeɛ a ɛwɔ ewiem,
wɔn a wɔkoto de Awurade ka ntam
na wɔde Molek nso ka ntam,
6wɔn nso a wɔgyae Awurade akyiridie
na wɔnhwehwɛ Awurade anaa wɔmmisa nʼase.”
7Monyɛ komm wɔ Asafo Awurade anim,
ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade ɛda no abɛn.
Awurade asiesie afɔrebɔdeɛ;
wadwira wɔn a wato nsa afrɛ wɔn no ho.
8“Awurade afɔrebɔ ɛda no,
mɛtwe mmapɔmma
ne ahenemma
ne wɔn a wɔhyehyɛ
ananafoɔ ntadeɛ nyinaa aso.
9Saa ɛda no mɛtwe wɔn
a wɔkwati aponnwa no nyinaa aso.
Wɔn a wɔde akakabensɛm
ne nsisie hyehyɛ wɔn abosomfie ma no.
10“Saa ɛda no,”
sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie,
“Esu bɛfiri Mpataa Ɛpono ano,
agyaadwotwa bɛfiri Atenaeɛ Foforɔ
na nnyegyeeɛ a ano yɛ den afiri nkokoɔ no so aba.
11Montwa adwo, mo a mote adetɔnbea hɔ no
wɔbɛtɔre wɔn a mo ne wɔn di dwa ase,
dwetɛ adwadifoɔ nyinaa nso wɔbɛsɛe wɔn.
12Mede nkanea bɛkyini ahwehwɛ Yerusalem mu
na matwe wɔn a wɔgyaagyaa wɔn ho aso,
wɔn a wɔte sɛ bobesa puo no,
a wɔdwene sɛ, ‘Awurade nnyɛ wɔn hwee
sɛ ɛyɛ papa anaa bɔne.’
13Wɔbɛfom wɔn ahonyadeɛ,
na wɔabubu wɔn afie agu.
Wɔbɛsisi afie, nanso wɔrentena mu
wɔbɛyɛ bobe mfuo
nanso wɔrennom emu nsã.”
Awurade Ɛda Kɛseɛ No
14Awurade ɛda kɛseɛ no abɛn,
abɛn na ɛreba ntɛm so.
Tie! Osu a wɔbɛsu Awurade ɛda no bɛyɛ ya,
ɔkofoɔ a ɔwɔ hɔ nso nteamu bɛyɛ saa ara.
15Saa ɛda no bɛyɛ abufuo ɛda,
ɛyɛ ahoyera ne ɔyea ɛda;
ɛyɛ amanehunu ne ɔsɛeɛ ɛda,
ɛyɛ esum ne kusukuukuu ɛda
ɛyɛ omununkum ne kusuuyɛ ɛda,
16ɛyɛ totorobɛnto hyɛn ne ɔko nteam
a ɛtia nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ banbɔ
ne ntwɛtwɛaso abantenten ɛda.
17“Mede awerɛhoɔ bɛba nnipa no so
na wɔbɛnante sɛ anifirafoɔ,
ɛfiri sɛ wɔayɛ bɔne atia Awurade.
Wɔbɛhwie wɔn mogya agu sɛ mfuturo,
na wɔn ayamdeɛ nso sɛ atantanneɛ.
18Wɔn dwetɛ anaa sikakɔkɔɔ
rentumi nnye wɔn nkwa
wɔ Awurade abufuo ɛda no.”
Ne ninkuntwe mu ogya no
bɛhye ɔman no nyinaa,
na ɔbɛma asase no so tefoɔ nyinaa nkwa
aba awieeɛ 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.
