1The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.1.2 I will…: Heb. By taking away I will make an end1.2 the land: Heb. the face of the land 3I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.1.3 stumblingblocks: or, idols 4I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; 5And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;1.5 by the…: or, to the LORD 6And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
7Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.1.7 bid: Heb. sanctified, or, prepared 8And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.1.8 punish: Heb. visit upon 9In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. 10And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. 11Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. 12And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.1.12 settled: Heb. curded, or, thickened 13Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
14The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
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.
