1 I am Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, the great-grandson of Amariah, and the great-great-grandson of Hezekiah.
When Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah, the Lord gave me this message.
Judgment on Judah
2 I, the Lord, now promise
to destroy everything
on this earth—
3 people and animals,
birds and fish.
Everyone who is evil
will crash to the ground,
and I will wipe out
the entire human race.
4 I will reach out to punish
Judah and Jerusalem—
nothing will remain
of the god Baal;
nothing will be remembered
of his pagan priests.
5 Not a trace will be found
of those who worship stars
from their rooftops,
or bow down to the god Milcom,
while claiming loyalty
to me, the Lord.
6 Nothing will remain of anyone
who has turned away
and rejected me.
7 Be silent! I am the Lord God,
and the time is near.
I am preparing
to sacrifice my people
and to invite my guests.
8 On that day I will punish
national leaders
and sons of the king,
along with all who follow
foreign customs.
9 I will punish worshipers
of pagan gods
and cruel palace officials
who abuse their power.
10 I, the Lord, promise
that on that day
noisy crying will be heard
from Fish Gate, New Town,
and Upper Hills.
11 Everyone in Lower Hollow
will mourn loudly,
because merchants
and money changers
will be wiped out.
12 I'll search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those people
who sit there unworried
while thinking,
“The Lord won't do anything,
good or bad.”
13 Their possessions will be taken,
their homes left in ruins.
They won't get to live
in the houses they build,
or drink wine from the grapes
in their own vineyards.
A Terrible Day
14 The great day of the Lord
is coming soon, very soon.
On that terrible day,
fearsome shouts of warriors
will be heard everywhere.
15 It will be a time of anger—
of trouble and torment,
of disaster and destruction,
of darkness and despair,
of storm clouds and shadows,
16 of trumpet calls
and battle cries
against fortified cities
and mighty fortresses.
17 The Lord warns everyone
who has sinned against him,
“I'll strike you blind!
Then your blood and your insides
will gush out like vomit.
18 Not even your silver or gold
can save you on that day
when I, the Lord, am angry.
My anger will flare up
like a furious fire
scorching the earth
and everyone on it.”
1 Mîs ǃKhūb dis ge Sefanjaba Amonni ôab Josiab ge Judab gao-ao i ǁaeb ǃnâ ge hāba. Sefanjab ge a Kusi ôa, Kusi ge a Gedaljab ôa, Gedaljab ge a Amariab ôa tsî Amariab ge a Hiskiab ôa.
ǃKhūb di ǀgoraǃgâtsēs
2 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: “Tita ge ǃhūbaib ai hâ xūn hoana nî hîkākā. 3 Tita ge khoen tsî ǀgurun tsî xamarin, ǀhomanin tsî ǁaun tsîn hoana nî hîkākā. Tsî ta ge eloxoresan hîa nauna ra ǁnā kaina nî ǀamǀam. Tita ge khoesib hoaba ǃhūbaiba xu nî ūbē,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.4 “Tita ge Judaba nî ǁkhara tsî ǁkhāti Jerusalems di ǁanǂgāsaben hoana. Tsî ta ge nē ǃās ǃnâ noxopa ǃgau hân, Baali dina nî hîkākā tsî ǀondi ǁgôa-elopristergu didi tsîna. 5 ǁNān hîa omdi ǂamǃnâ ǂoa tsî ǀhomaib ai hâ xūna ra ǀgoreǀîn tsî ǁnān hîa ǃKhūb tawa nū tsî xawe ǁkhāti Moleki tawas tsîna ra nūna; 6 tsî ǁkhāti ǁnān ǃKhūba ge ǁâba mān, ǁîba ôa tama tsî ǁîb ai ǀape-ôa tamana.”
7 ǃKhūb Elob aiǃâ ǃnō re, ǃKhūb di tsēs a ǀgū xuige. ǃKhūb ge ǁguiba-e ǂhomi tsî ǁkhausaben âba go khai. 8 ǃKhūb ǁguibas di tsēs ai ta ge tita ǂamkhoegu, gaoǀgôan tsî ǃhao sarana ra anan tsîn hoana nî ǁkhara. 9 ǁNā tsēs ai ta ge dao-ams ǃnaoba ra uriǃnapu-i hoa-e nî ǁkhara tsî ǁnān ǀhonkhoeb ân di omma ǂkhabadīb tsî gāxaǃnâsib ǀkha ra ǀoaǀoan tsîna.
10 “ǁNā tsēs aib ge āba Jerusalems ǃnâ ǁAun Dao-ams tawa nî ǁnâuhe, āba ǀgamǁî ǃâs ǃās disa xu tsî ǀgaisa ǀōb khôas diba ǃnâude xu,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.11 “Ā re sadu ǂharuguǃkhaib di ǁanǂgāsabedo, hoaraga ǂharugu-aon nî ūbēhe tsî ǀhaiǀuriba ra ǀnōǁnân hoan nî hîkākāhe xuige.
12 “ǁNā ǁaeb ai ta ge Jerusalemsa ǃamǀaedi ǀkha ôaǃnâǃganu tsî ǁnān, ǁîn ǂûn ǃnâ ǂkhîǂkhîsa tsî ǁîǃgôasen hâna nî ǁkhara; ǁnān, ǁîn ǂûn ǃnâ ‘ǃKhūb ge ǃgâi-i kas, tsū-i kas hoasa dī tama hâ’ ti ra mîna. 13 ǁÎn di xūn ge nî ǃnariǂuihe tsî omdi ân ge nî hîkākāhe. ǁÎn ge omde nî ombasen, xawe ǁîdi ǃnâ ǁan tide; draibeǃhanagan ga ǂgā, xawen ge ǁîga xu ǂauxûi-e ā tide.”
14 ǃKhūb di kaitsēs ge a ǀgū; ǁîs ge kaise a ǀgū tsî ǃhaese ra hā. ǃKhūb di tsēs ge ause nî ǀō, ǀgaisa ǁē-aob tsîn ge ǁnāpa ǃgarise nî ǃau. 15 ǁNās ge nî ǁaib di tsē, ǂōǂōsib tsî ǀhūsasib di tsē, khôaǂkhūs tsî hîkākās di tsē, ǃkhaeb tsî ǃkhaenas di tsē, ǃâudi tsî durutsuxub di tsē, 16 tsēs xâiǁnâs di ǀōb tsî toroǃkhams di ǃauǂgais, omǂnamisa ǃādi tsî ǀgapi ǂgō-omgu ǃoagus disa.
17 “Tita ge ǃaoba khoen ǂama nî hā kai tsîn ge ǂgī khoe-i khami nî tsananama, tita ǃoagun ge ǁore amaga. ǁÎn di ǀaob ge ǁgam-i khami nî ǁhōxūhe tsî sorodi âna xaub khami,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.18 ǁÎn di ǀhaiǀurib kas, ǁîn di ǃhuniǀurib kas hoas ge ǁîna ǃKhūb ǁaib di tsēs ai huiǂui ǁkhā tide. Hoaraga ǃhūbaib ge ǁîb ǁaib di ǀaes xa nî hapuhe. ǁÎb ge ǃnapetamase hoaraga khoen ǃhūbaib dina nî hîkākā.
