Zephaniah 1
1 Judah manghai Amon capa Josiah tue vaengah, Hezekiah koca, Amariah capa Gedaliah kah a capa, Kushi capa Zephaniah taengah BOEIPA ol pai.
[I am] Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, whose father was [King] Hezekiah. Yahweh gave this message to me during the time when [King] Amon’s son Josiah was the King of Judah.
2 Diklai maelhmai dong lamkah a cungkuem he tun ka thup ni.
Yahweh says, “I will (sweep away/destroy) everything [HYP] that is on the earth.
3 Hlang neh rhamsa khaw ka thup ni. Vaan kah vaa neh tuitunli kah nga khaw, a rhok a rhap neh halang khaw ka thup ni. Hlang he diklai maelhmai dong lamloh ka hnawt ni.
I will sweep away people and animals. I will sweep away birds and fish. I will get rid of wicked people; there will be no more [wicked] [HYP] people on the earth.”
4 Judah taeng neh Jerusalem kah khosa boeih taengah ka kut ka thueng ni. He hmuen lamloh Baal kah a coih, mueirhol khosoih ming neh, khosoih rhoek te khaw,
“[These are some of the things that I will do]: I will punish the people who live in Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah. I will destroy everything that has been used in the worship of Baal. I will cause [people] to no longer remember the names of the pagan priests or the [other] priests [who have turned away from me].
5 Imphu ah vaan caempuei taengla aka bakop rhoek te khaw, BOEIPA taengah a toemngam lalah Milkom taengah aka toemngam tih aka bakop khaw,
[I will get rid of] those who go up on the roofs [of their houses] and worship the sun and moon and stars, those who claim that they worship me but [also] worship [their god] Molech.
6 BOEIPA hnuk lamloh aka balkhong rhoek te khaw, BOEIPA te tlap pawt tih amah aka toem pawt te khaw ka khoe ni.
I will get rid of all those who previously worshiped me but no longer do, those who no [longer] seek my [help or ask me to tell them what they should do.”]
7 BOEIPA hnin he yoei coeng tih ka Boeipa Yahovah mikhmuh ah he saahlah hoeih. BOEIPA loh hmueih a tawn tih a khue rhoek te a ciim coeng.
Be silent in front of Yahweh the Lord, because it will soon be the time/day when Yahweh [will judge and punish people]. Yahweh has prepared to get rid of [the people of Judah]; they will be like [MET] animals that are slaughtered for sacrifices, and he has chosen [their enemies] to be the ones who will get rid of them.
8 BOEIPA kah hmueih hnin a pha pawn ni. Te vaengah mangpa rhoek taeng neh manghai capa rhoek taengah khaw, kholong kah hnicu aka bai boeih taengah khaw ka cawh ni.
Yahweh says, “On that day when I will get rid of [the people of Judah], [I will punish] their officials and the king’s sons, and [I will punish] all those who worship foreign gods [MTY].
9 Te khohnin ah tah thohkong aka poe boeih, a boei im te kuthlahnah neh hlangthai palat aka bae sak khaw ka cawh ni.
I will punish those who [show that they revere their god Dagan] by avoiding stepping on the threshold [of his temple], and those who do violent things and tell lies in the temples of their gods.”
10 He tah BOEIPA kah olphong ni. Te khohnin ah nga vongka lamkah pangngawlnah ol, a hmatoeng lamkah rhung ol, som lamkah a len pocinah om ni.
Yahweh [also] says, “On that day, people will cry [out] at the Fish Gate [of Jerusalem]. People will wail in the newer part of the city, and [people will hear] a loud crash [of buildings collapsing] in the hills.
11 Vakawh sumngol kah khosa rhoek te rhung uh laeh. Hnoyoi pilnam boeih hmata vetih cak phueikung boeih khaw khoe uh ni.
[So, all you] people who live in the market area [of Jerusalem] should wail, because all those who sell goods and weigh out silver will be slaughtered.
12 A tue te a pha vaengah Jerusalem te hmaithoi neh ka phuelhthaih ni. A sampa a khal dongkah hlang rhoek te ka cawh ni. Te rhoek loh a thinko nen tah, ‘BOEIPA a then moenih, thaehuet mahpawh,’ a ti.
[It will be as though] I will light lanterns to search in [dark places in] Jerusalem for those who have become very satisfied with their behavior and complacent [about their sins]. They think that [I], Yahweh, will do nothing to them, neither good things nor bad things.
13 A thadueng te maehbuem la, a im te khopong la om ni. Im a sak uh akhaw om nah uh mahpawh. Misurdum a tawn uh akhaw a misurtui te o uh mahpawh.
[But I say that] their valuable possessions will be plundered/stolen [by their enemies], and their houses will be destroyed. They will build [new] homes, but they will not live in them; they will plant vineyards, but they will never drink [any] wine [made from grapes that grow there].”
14 BOEIPA kah khohnin yoei coeng, yoei tangkik coeng. BOEIPA hnin kah ol tah bahoeng tok coeng. Hlangrhalh khaw khahing la pahoi kawk coeng.
It will soon be the day/time when Yahweh [will punish people]. It will be here quickly. It will be a time [when people cry] bitterly, a time when [even] brave soldiers will cry loudly.
15 Te khohnin tah thinpom khohnin, citcai neh khobing khohnin, khohli rhamrhael neh imrhong khohnin, hmaisuep neh khohmuep khohnin, cingmai neh yinnah khohnin ni.
It will be a time when [God shows that he is] very angry, a time when [people experience much] distress/suffering and trouble. [It will be] a time [when many things are] ruined and destroyed [DOU]. It will be a time when it is very gloomy and dark [DOU], when the clouds are very black.
16 Khopuei cakrhuet taeng neh a sang bangkil taengkah tuki neh tamlung khohnin ni.
It will be a time when [soldiers] will blow trumpets [to call other soldiers] to battle. [Your enemies] will tear down the walls around your cities and the high towers [at the corners of those walls].
17 Hlang te ka daengdaeh vetih mikdael bangla pongpa uh ni. BOEIPA taengah a tholh uh dongah amih thii te laipi bangla a hawk ni. A buhcak te aekkhuel bangla om ni.
Because you sinned against Yahweh, he will cause you to experience great distress; you will walk [around groping] like [SIM] blind people do. Your blood will flow [from your bodies] like [SIM] water, and your corpses will lie on the ground and rot [SIM].
18 BOEIPA kah thinpom hnin ah tah a cak long khaw, a sui long khaw amih huul hamla noeng mahpawh. A thatlainah hmai loh diklai pum he a hlawp ni. Diklai khosa boeih te a bawtnah hil tlek a saii ni.
At the time that [Yahweh shows that he] is very angry [with you], you will not be able to save yourselves by [giving] silver or gold [to your enemies]. Because Yahweh (is very jealous/does not want people to worship any other god), he will send a fire to burn up the entire world, and he will suddenly get rid of all the [wicked] people who live on the earth.
