صَفَنْيا 2

١ 1 «اجْتَمِعِي، احْتَشِدِي أَيَّتُهَا الأُمَّةُ الْوَقِحَةُ.

You people [of Judah] who ought to be ashamed, gather together [DOU].

٢ 2 قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحِينَ الْقَضَاءُ، فَيُطَوِّحُ بِكِ كَالْعُصَافَةِ أَمَامَ الرِّيحِ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحُلَّ بِكِ غَضَبُ الرَّبِّ الشَّدِيدُ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْصَبَّ عَلَيْكِ سَخَطُ الرَّبِّ.

Yahweh is extremely angry with you, [so gather together now], before it is time for him to punish [MTY] you and blow you away like [SIM] [the wind blows away] chaff.

٣ 3 الْتَمِسُوا الرَّبَّ يَا وُدَعَاءَ الأَرْضِ الرَّاضِخِينَ لِحُكْمِهِ. اطْلُبُوا الْبِرَّ وَالتَّوَاضُعَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَجِدُونَ مَلاذاً فِي يَوْمِ سَخَطِ الرَّبِّ.

All you people in Judah who are humble, worship Yahweh, and obey what he has commanded. Try to do what is right and to be humble. [If you do that], perhaps Yahweh will protect/spare you on the day when he punishes [MTY] people.

٤ 4 فَإِنَّ غَزَّةَ تُصْبِحُ مَهْجُورَةً، وَأَشْقَلُونَ مُوْحِشَةً، وَأَهْلَ أَشْدُودَ يُطْرَدُونَ عِنْدَ الظَّهِيرَةِ، وَعَقْرُونَ تُسْتَأْصَلُ.

[When Yahweh punishes Philistia], Gaza and Ashkelon [cities] will be deserted/abandoned. Ashdod [city] will be attacked and the people expelled at noon [when people are resting]; the [people of Ekron city] will [also] be driven out.

٥ 5 وَيْلٌ لَكُمْ يَا أَهْلَ سَاحِلِ الْبَحْرِ، أُمَّةَ الْكِرِيتِيِّينَ. إِنَّ قَضَاءَ الرَّبِّ مُنْصَبٌّ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا سُكَّانَ كَنْعَانَ أَرْضِ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ. سَأُدَمِّرُكِ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى فِيكِ مُقِيمٌ.

And terrible things will happen to you people of Philistia who live near the sea, because Yahweh has decided [MTY] that he will punish [MTY] you, [also]. He will get rid of all of you; not one person will (survive/remain alive).

٦ 6 وَأَنْتِ يَا أَرْضَ سَاحِلِ الْبَحْرِ تُصْبِحِينَ مَرَاعِيَ وَمُرُوجاً لِلرُّعَاةِ وَحَظَائِرَ لِلْمَوَاشِي.

The land [of Philistia] near the sea will become a pasture, a place for shepherds and their sheep pens.

٧ 7 وَيُصْبِحُ سَاحِلُ الْبَحْرِ مِلْكاً لِبَقِيَّةِ بَيْتِ يَهُوذَا فَيَرْعَوْنَ فِيهِ قُطْعَانَهُمْ، وَيَرْقُدُونَ فِي الْمَسَاءِ فِي بُيُوتِ أَشْقَلُونَ، لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ إِلَهَهُمْ يَفْتَقِدُهُمْ وَيَرُدُّ سَبْيَهُمْ.

The people of Judah who (survive/are still alive) will possess that land. At night they will sleep in the [deserted] houses in Ashkelon. Yahweh will take care of them; he will enable them to prosper again.

٨ 8 قَدْ سَمِعْتُ تَعْيِيرَ مُوآبَ وَتَجَادِيفَ بَنِي عَمُّونَ، وَكَيْفَ احْتَقَرُوا شَعْبِي وَهَدَّدُوا تُخْمَهُمْ.

The Commander of the armies of angels, the God to whom [we] Israeli people [belong], says [this]: “I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon when they insulted [DOU] my people, and when they said that they would conquer my people’s country.

٩ 9 لِذَلِكَ، كَمَا أَنَا حَيٌّ، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ إِلَهُ إِسْرَائِيلَ، لَيُصْبِحَنَّ أَهْلُ مُوآبَ كَسَدُومَ، وَالْعَمُّونِيُّونَ كَعَمُورَةَ، مَنْبَتاً لِلْقَرِيصِ وَحُفْرَةً لِلْمِلْحِ وَخَرَاباً إِلَى الأَبَدِ، وَتَنْهَبُهُمْ بَقِيَّةُ شَعْبِي وَيَمْتَلِكُهُمُ النَّاجُونَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي.

So now, [as surely] as I live, [I will destroy] Moab and Ammon like [SIM] [I destroyed] Gomorrah [city]. Their land will be a place were there are nettles and salt pits; it will be ruined forever. My Israeli people who survive will take away all their valuable possessions and [also] occupy their land.”

١٠ 10 هَذَا مَا يَجْنُونَهُ لِقَاءَ تَشَامُخِهِمْ، لأَنَّهُمُ احْتَقَرُوا وَتَبَاهَوْا عَلَى شَعْبِ الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ.

The people of Moab and Ammon will get what they deserve for being proud, because they made fun of the people who belong to the Commander of the armies of angels.

١١ 11 سَيَكُونُ الرَّبُّ مَثَارَ رُعْبِهِمْ حِينَ يُحَطِّمُ جَمِيعَ آلِهَةِ الأَرْضِ، فَيَسْجُدُ لَهُ آنَئِذٍ جَمِيعُ النَّاسِ، كُلٌّ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ، فِي كُلِّ دِيَارِ الْمَسْكُونَةِ.

Yahweh will cause them to be terrified [when] he destroys all the gods of their countries. Then [even the people who live on] islands throughout the world will worship Yahweh, each in their own countries.

١٢ 12 وَأَنْتُمْ أَيْضاً أَيُّهَا الْكُوشِيُّونَ سَتَسْقُطُونَ صَرْعَى سَيْفِي.

[Yahweh says that] he will also slaughter the people of Ethiopia.

١٣ 13 ثُمَّ يَبْسُطُ يَدَهُ نَحْوَ الشِّمَالِ وَيُبِيدُ أَشُّورَ وَيَجْعَلُ نِينَوَى قَفْراً مُوْحِشاً، أَرْضاً قَاحِلَةً كَالصَّحْرَاءِ.

Yahweh will punish [IDM] and destroy Assyria, [that land] northeast of us. He will cause [its capital] Nineveh to become ruined and deserted, a place that will be as dry as the desert.

١٤ 14 تَرْبِضُ فِي وَسَطِهَا الْقُطْعَانُ وَسَائِرُ وُحُوشِ الْبَرِّ، وَيَأْوِي إِلَى تِيجَانِ أَعْمِدَتِهَا الْقُوقُ وَالْقُنْفُذُ وَيَنْعَبُ الْغُرَابُ عَلَى عَتَبَاتِهَا، لأَنَّ أَرْزَهَا قَدْ تَعَرَّى.

[Flocks of sheep and] herds [of cattle] and many kinds of wild animals will lie down there. Owls and crows will sit on the columns/pillars [of the destroyed buildings], and they will (hoot/cry out) through the windows. There will be rubble in the doorways, and the [valuable] cedar boards will be taken [from the ruined houses].

١٥ 15 هَذِهِ هِيَ الْمَدِينَةُ الطَّرُوبُ الَّتِي سَكَنَتْ آمِنَةً قَائِلَةً لِنَفْسِهَا: أَنَا وَلَيْسَ لِي نَظِيرٌ! كَيْفَ صَارَتْ أَطْلالاً، وَمَأْوىً لِلْوُحُوشِ الْبَرِّيَّةِ؟ كُلُّ مَنْ يَجْتَازُ بِها يَصْفِرُ دَهْشَةً وَيَهُزُّ يَدَهُ».

[The people of] Nineveh were [previously] happy and proud, thinking that they were very safe. They were [always] saying, “Our city is the greatest city; there is no city as great as ours!” But now it will become a ruins, a place where wild animals make their dens. And everyone who passes by there will hiss [and scorn/ridicule that city], and shake their fists [to show that they detest that city very much].