1 The 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. 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. 3 I 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. 4 I 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; 5 And 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; 6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
7 Hold 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. 8 And 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. 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. 10 And 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. 11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. 12 And 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. 13 Therefore 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.
14 The 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. 15 That 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, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And 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. 18 Neither 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.
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Zefaniya nkololo wa Khushi, Khushi ali nkololo wa Gedaliya, Gedaliya ali nkololo wa Amariya, Amariya ali nkololo wa Hezekiya mu misi ya Josiya nkololo wa Amoni mambo we Juda.
Zhuba la Yahwe le kusumikilisa
2 “Ndowolobesa tjoselele tjimwe ne tjimwe
tjimu shango,” koleba Yahwe.
3 “Ndowolobesa nthu ne phuka,
ndowolobesa nyuni dze phepo
ne hwobe dze gungwa.
Babiibi banowobe matuluthulu e malala,
andikolomodza lutshinga gwe nthu mu shango,” koleba Yahwe.
4 “Ndowomilidza luboko gwangu kubhayana ne Juda,
ne kubhayana ne bagali bose be Jerusalema.
Ndowokolomodza limbelimbe la Bhaale mu magalo iyawa,
ne zina le bapirisiti banothigamila midzimu ipoga,
5 ibo banothigamila ku matenga e ng'umba,
benamata zwedza zwe kudzimu,
ibo banonamata kakale betuna na Yahwe,
ili ibo zwabo betuna na Milikomo.
6 Ibabo bakafupatila kutobela Yahwe,
ibo basingashake Yahwe kene kuli kushakisisa nge kwabo.”
7 Unyalale mbeli kwa She Yahwe,
ngobe zhuba la Yahwe lasendela.
Yahwe balulwamisa tjibhayilo,
bayengemadza bakokiwa babo.
8 Ngono mu zhuba le tjibhayilo tja Yahwe,
“Ndowoloba shamu makulukota ne bakololo ba mambo,
na bose banoambala zwiambalo zwe bathu be shango dzipoga.
9 Mu zhuba ilelo ndowoloba banoshudzila ku lutombo,
banozhadza ng'umba dza botetshi babo nge phipiti nenge kutjebela”
10 Yahwe bakati, “Mu zhuba ilelo,
kowohwika tjililo kudwa ku Nkoba we Hwobe,
kowohwika tjililo ku Bugalo gwe Bubili,
ne kukwiyana ku matuthu.
11 Bokolelani imwi bagali be ku matengeselo
ngobe bashabi bose bawobulawa,
bose banoshaba ne siliva banowolobesiwa.
12 Nge tjibaka itjetjo, ndowofunyungudza Jerusalema nge mavone,
Ndowoloba shamu bathu bagedzikane mu zwibi zwabo
ibo banokumbula beti, ‘Yahwe akuna tjabanosothama tjili tjibuya kene tjibiibi.’
13 Fumwa yabo inowotapiwa
ne ng'umba dzabo dzowokolomogwa.
Banobaka ng'umba koga abatowogala mudzili,
banowolima minda dze mizhambi koga abatowong'wa nkumbi we zhambi.”
14 Zhuba gulu la Yahwe lasendela,
labe pejo kakale lozha ngolibilidza!
Tjililo tje zhuba la Yahwe tjowobe tjibhaya pa moyo,
babhayani bakasima banowolila ikoko.
15 Kowobe kuli zhuba le bushongola,
zhuba le mang'oni ne buyendasi,
zhuba lekulobesa ne manikano,
zhuba le zhalima ne zogwadza
zhuba le makole akati zwititi,
16 zhuba le kulila kwe lunyanga ne tjililo tje ngwa
kusumikilisa kowila mizi mikulu ye matizhilo ne thungamakole.
17 Ndowozhisa buyendasi mu bathu,
gunowoti bathu bakayenda bekwebiwa se mapofu
ngoti bakatjinyila Yahwe,
malopa abo anowotebugwa se hwuluba
ne zwitumbu zwabo se ndobe.
18 Akuna siliva kene golide yabo ingabatjidza
mu zhuba le bushongola gwa Yahwe.
Shango yose inowokolomogwa nge moto we bushongola gwabo.
Tjinyolotjo banowozhisa bhelelo muna bose banotjila mu shango.