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.”
Efiku lehandu lOmwene
1 Ondjovo yOmwene ya hanga Sefania yaKus yaGedalja yaAmarja yaHiskia pomafiku aJosia yaAmon, ohamba yaJuda:
2 “Ame ohandi ka komba po oinima aishe kombada yedu, Omwene ta ti. 3 Ame ohandi ka komba po ovanhu noifitukuti, ohandi ka komba po eedila dokeulu neeshi domefuta noipundukifo pamwe novadinikalunga. Heeno, Ame ohandi ka hanauna po ovanhu kombada yedu, Omwene osho ta ti.
4 “Ndele handi ka anekela Juda noonakukalamo vomuJerusalem okwooko kwange. Ame ohandi ka dima mo yo monhele ei oixupe yaBaal, nomadina ovalongeli voikalunga pamwe novapristeli, 5 naava have linyongamene kombada yeenduda nokwiilikana eengudu dokeulu, naavo have linyongamene nokwiilikana Omwene nokwaana kuye ndele hava ane yo kuMilkom, 6 naava yo va efa Omwene, ndele itava kongo Omwene, ndele itave mu pula.”
7 Limweneneneni koshipala shOmwene Kalunga! Osheshi efiku lOmwene li li popepi. Osheshi Omwene okwa longekida etomenoyambo ndele a yapula ovashivwa vaye. 8 Mefiku tuu olo letomenoyambo lOmwene, Ame ohandi ka kongolola omalenga novana veehamba naaveshe ava hava djala oikutu yokoilongo. 9 Mefiku linya handi ka kongolola yo aveshe ava hava nhuka nokutauluka oshikulo shoposhi, hava yadifa ongulu yomwene wavo etinho nekengelelo.
10 Mefiku tuu olo, Omwene ota ti, ekuwaano tali udika pOshivelo sheedi, nelilaano kOshilando shipe, nehanauno linene koikulundudu! 11 Lileni, nye oonakukalamo monhele ei hai ifanwa Oshini, osheshi ovalandifi aveshe tava ka hanaunwa po naaveshe ava va yeleka oimaliwa tava ka kombwa po.
12 Ndele mefimbo tuu olo Ame ohandi ka hadahada Jerusalem neelamba, ndele handi ka kongolola ovalumenhu ava va pamekwa konhafi yavo, ava hava ti momitima davo: “Omwene ita ningi nande ouwa ile owii.” 13 Noupuna wavo otave ke u nyekwa nomaumbo avo taa ka hanaunwa po. Nongeenge tava diki omaumbo, vo itava ka kala mo. Nongeenge tava twike oikokola yomiviinyu, vo itava ka nwa omaviinyu ayo. 14 Efiku linene lOmwene oli li popepi! Heeno, opopepi li li, ndele tali endelele okufika! Pwilikineni! Efiku lOmwene! Omuladi ota kuu unene. 15 Efiku olo efiku loupyuhandu, efiku loluhepo noloudjuu, efiku lehanauno nolenyonauko, efiku lomilaulu noloshiwiwili, efiku loilemo nolomidimbi, 16 efiku leshiko lenghuma loita okukuwila oilando ya pama, neehoteshungo dile domashakeneno. 17 Novanhu ohandi ke va twala moudjuu unene, ndele otava ka elaela ngaashi ovapofi, osheshi ova nyona kOmwene. Nohonde yavo otai ka tilwashi ngaashi ondwi, naashi shomeni ngaashi onyata. 18 Oshingoldo noshisiliveli shavo itashi dulu oku va xupifa mefiku loupyuhandu wOmwene. Ndelenee omundilo wouladi waye otau ka lungwinifa po edu alishe. Osheshi ehanauno nexulilo lombadilila ote li undulile oonakukalako aveshe kombada yedu.
