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 Oohapu ndhika Omuwa okwe dhi lombwele Sefania pethimbo lyaJosia yaAmmon, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda. (Sefania oyaKushi kwaGedalia yaAmaria gaHiskia.)
Esiku lyepangulo lyOmuwa
2 Omuwa okwa ti: “Otandi ka hanagula po shaa shoka kombanda yevi, 3 aantu ayehe niinamwenyo noohi. Otandi ka komba po aakolokoshi ayehe. Otandi ka yonagula po aantu ayehe noitaku hupu nando ogumwe. Ongame Omuwa nde dhi popi.
4 “Otandi ka geela aantu ayehe yaJerusalem noyaJuda. Otandi ka hanagula po omathegela gesimaneko lyaBaal, nokaku na we ngoka ta ka dhimbulukwa aasaageli mboka ya li ya longele Baal. 5 Otandi ka hanagula po shaa ngoka ta londo koshihoko nota simaneke etango, omwedhi noonyothi. Otandi ka hanagula po wo mboka taa longele ndje nuudhiginini, ihe otaa gana medhina lyoshikalunga Molek. 6 Otandi ka hanagula po mboka ya shuna monima noitaa landula ndje we, mboka itaa ya we kungame nenge itaa galikana ndje, opo ndi ya endithe.”
7 Mweneni thilu koshipala shOmuwa. Oshoka esiku lyOmuwa oli li popepi, esiku uuna Kalunga ta ka ninga po sha Omuwa okwi ilongekidha okudhipaga aantu ye ngaashi iimuna. 8 Omuwa ota ti: “Esiku lyetselo otandi geele aambala, aana yokombanda aamati naayehe mboka taa holele aakwiilongo. 9 Otandi geele ayehe mboka haa tutula uudhano woshipagani naamboka haa yaka nohaa dhipaga, opo ya yambapaleke egumbo lyoshikalunga shawo.”
10 Omuwa ota ti: “Esiku ndyoka otamu ku uva omawi taga kugagana pOsheelo shoohi muJerusalem. Otamu ku uva etakumo moshitopolwa oshipe shoshilando nekolokoto enene koondundu. 11 Kugeni e tamu lili, ne mbo mu li molusilu lwoshilando, uuna tamu shi uvu, oshoka aapindiki ayehe otaa ka sa.
12 “Pethimbo mpoka otandi kutha olamba e tandi shilile Jerusalem. Otandi geele aantu mboka taa imbilipaleke noyi inekela yo yene notayi ipopile taa ti: ‘Omuwa ita tompola sha, shika nenge shiyaka.’ 13 Uuyamba wawo otau ka yugwa po nomagumbo gawo taga ka hanagulwa po. Itaa ka kala momagumbo ngoka taye ga tungu nenge okunwa omaviinu gomiitsambe mbyoka taye yi tsike.”
14 Esiku enene lyOmuwa oli li popepi — popepilela notali ya tali endelele. Otali ka kala esiku elulululu, oshoka aakwiita oofulelela otaa ka lila kuudhigu! 15 Otali ka kala esiku lyondjahi, esiku lyuuwehame nolyuudhigu, esiku lyeyonuko nolyehanagulo, esiku lyomilema nolyondhimeya, esiku lyiikogo nolyomuzimbi, 16 esiku lyelilo lyoombenda dhiita noonkalu dhaakwiita taa ponokele iilandohote nooshungo oondeendeka.
17 Omuwa ota ti: “Otandi ka tumina aantu uudhigu tau ya pampadhalitha ya fa aaposi. Oya yono kungame, nongashingeyi ombinzi yawo otayi ka tilwahi ya fa omeya, nomidhimba dhawo otadhi ka lala dho olela pevi.”
18 Mesiku ndjoka Omuwa ota ka holola ondjahi ye, onkee oshisiliveli noshingoli shawo itashi vulu oku ya hupitha. Evi alihe otali ka hanagulwa po komulilo gwondjahi ye. Ota ka hulitha po mbala ayehe mboka ya kala kombanda yevi.
