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 Yaawe* ye ñiŋ kiilaariyaa kumoo le lankenemayandi Sefaniya ma.
Sefaniya mu Kusi dinkewo le ti, Kusi mu Kedaliya dinkewo ti, Kedaliya mu Amariya dinkewo ti, Amariya mu Hesekiya dinkewo ti. Kiilaariyaa ñiŋ keta Mansa Yosiya, Amoni dinkewo la maraloo waatoo le la Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ.
Kiitiyo luŋo be naa kaŋ
2 Yaawe ko:
“Feŋ-wo-feŋ be duniyaa kono,
m be a bee le bondi la jee.
3 Hadamadiŋ wo, beeyaŋ wo, kunu wo, ñee wo,
m be ì bee le bondi la duniyaa kono,
ŋa moo kuruŋolu la kuwo jindi.
M be hadamadiŋolu bee le kasaara la.
Nte Yaawe le ye a fo.
4 M bulu be laa la Yerusalaamunkoolu kaŋ ne,
aniŋ Yahuuda bankoo moolu bee.
M be Baali* jalambatoo bee daŋ na ñiŋ dulaalu to le.
M be jalambatu kuntiyolu toolu bo la le,
ŋa piriisoolu* kasaara mennu ye ì koo dii n na.
5 M be moolu fanaa kasaara la le,
mennu ka sujudi saŋo santo malafeŋolu ye,
ì la buŋolu kaŋ santo,
moolu fanaa mennu ka sujudi n ye,
ì ka kali n na,
ì ka naa muru ì ka kali Moleki jalaŋo fanaa la.
6 Moo-wo-moo ye a koo dii nte Yaawe la,
m be a kasaara la le,
aniŋ mennu buka ì daa ke n na kuu to,
sako ka n na yaamaroo ñini.”
7 Ali i deyi Maarii Yaawe ñaatiliŋo la.
Yaawe la luŋo sutiyaata naŋ ne.
A be pareeriŋ ne ka a la moolu kanateyi ko beeyaŋ sadaa*,
aduŋ a ye ì jawoolu le buuñaatoo kumandi a sadaa domoo to.
8 Yaawe ko:
“Ñiŋ sadaabo luŋo la,
m be ñaatonkoolu le faa la,
mansa dinkewolu,
aniŋ mennu fanaa ye wandi aadoolu taa.
9 Wo luŋo la,
moo-wo-moo ka a siŋo sawundi bundaa kuŋo la,
jalaŋo silaŋñaa kamma la,
aniŋ moo-wo-moo ka a maarii yaa fandi feŋolu la,
a ye meŋ soto fitinoo niŋ nakaroo la,
m be ì bee le jarabi la.”
10 Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“Wo luŋo la,
ali be kumboo kaŋo moyi la,
Ñee Dundaŋ Daa to, Yerusalaamu,
lembakaŋo Saatewo Bajonkoo to,
aniŋ kasaaroo maakaŋo konkoolu to naŋ.
11 Ali kumboo alitolu mennu be Saatewo Duumoo to,
kaatu ali la safaarilaalu bee le be faa la,
kodiforo peesalaalu bee ye kasaara.
12 Wo waatoo la,
m be tara la Yerusalaamu ñini la niŋ lampu maloo le la.
M be moolu jarabi la le,
mennu be laariŋ ì faŋ na ko, ì la kuwolu be beteyaariŋ ne.
Ì ka ñiŋ miira ko, Yaawe te kuu ke la,
a jawumaa to baŋ, waraŋ fo a betemaa to.
13 Ì la fankoo bee si ñapinkaŋ ì bulu,
ì la buŋolu bee ye kasaara.
Ì ye buŋolu mennu loo,
ì te sabati la ì kono,
ì ye wayini* yiroolu mennu tutu,
ì te ì jiyo miŋ na.”
14 Yaawe la ñiŋ luŋ baa be sutiyaa kaŋ naŋ ne,
a ka naa le,
a be sutiyaa kaŋ naŋ ne famfaŋ.
Yaawe la ñiŋ luŋo la, kumboo kaŋo be moyi la le,
a niikuyaa be wara la baake.
Hani kelejawaroolu, ì be lemba la le.
15 A be ke la Yaawe la kamfaa luŋo le ti,
kataa niŋ niitooroo luŋo,
tiñaaroo niŋ kasaaroo luŋo,
diboo niŋ minaayoo,
niikaa niŋ dibi fiŋo luŋo.
16 Ñiŋ luŋo be tara la faariŋ kelebinoolu kumakaŋolu le la,
kele wuuroo be tara la keriŋ,
niŋ kelediŋolu be saatee tatariŋolu waliŋ kaŋ,
aniŋ tata jaŋolu.
17 Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“M be ñiŋ niitoora siifaa le samba la naŋ hadamadiŋolu kaŋ,
ì si taama ko finkintewo,
ì la junube kuwolu kamma la.
Ì jawoolu ye naa ì yeloo boŋ ko jiyo,
ì furewolu ye tara fayiriŋ bankoo to fo ì ye toli.”
18 Yaawe la ñiŋ kamfaa luŋo la,
sani te ì kanandi la sako kodiforo.
Duniyaa bee le be kasaara la,
a la kamfaa dimbaa la.
Moo bee la baluwo ye daŋ waati kiliŋ,
ka bo duniyaa kono.
