Zephaniah 1
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah.
Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Sefania a ɔyɛ Kusi ba, Gedalia ba, Amaria ba, Hesekia ba nkyɛn nie. Ɛbaa Yudahene Yosia a ɔyɛ Amon ba berɛ so.
2 I will take away everything from the face of the earth, says the Lord.
“Mɛpra biribiara afiri asase so” deɛ Awurade seɛ nie,
3 I will take away man and beast; I will take away the birds of the heaven and the fishes of the sea; causing the downfall of the evil-doers, and cutting man off from the face of the earth, says the Lord.
“Mɛpra nnipa ne mmoa nyinaa; mɛpra nnomaa a wɔwɔ ewiem ne mpataa a wɔwɔ ɛpo mu nyinaa. Atirimuɔdenfoɔ bɛnya wira a ɛsum hɔ nko ara sɛ mesɛe adasamma a wɔwɔ asase yi so a,” deɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
4 And my hand will be stretched out on Judah and on all the people of Jerusalem, cutting off the name of the Baal from this place, and the name of the false priests,
“Mɛtene me nsa wɔ Yuda ne wɔn a wɔte Yerusalem nyinaa so; na mɛsɛe Baal ho biribiara a aka wɔ ha, na masɛe abosonsomfoɔ ne abosomfoɔ asɔfoɔ no din
5 And the worshippers of the army of heaven on the house-tops, and the Lord's worshippers who take oaths by Milcom,
wɔn a wɔkoto sɔre wɔn adan atifi, de sɔre abɔdeɛ a ɛwɔ ewiem, wɔn a wɔkoto de Awurade ka ntam na wɔde Molek nso ka ntam,
6 And those who are turned back from going after the Lord, and those who have not made prayer to the Lord or got directions from him.
wɔn nso a wɔgyae Awurade akyiridie na wɔnhwehwɛ Awurade anaa wɔmmisa nʼase.”
7 Let there be no sound before the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is near: for the Lord has made ready an offering, he has made his guests holy.
Monyɛ komm wɔ Asafo Awurade anim, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade ɛda no abɛn. Awurade asiesie afɔrebɔdeɛ; wadwira wɔn a wato nsa afrɛ wɔn no ho.
8 And it will come about in the day of the Lord's offering, that I will send punishment on the rulers and the king's sons and all who are clothed in robes from strange lands.
“Awurade afɔrebɔ ɛda no, mɛtwe mmapɔmma ne ahenemma ne wɔn a wɔhyehyɛ ananafoɔ ntadeɛ nyinaa aso.
9 And in that day I will send punishment on all those who come jumping over the doorstep and make their master's house full of violent behaviour and deceit.
Saa ɛda no mɛtwe wɔn a wɔkwati aponnwa no nyinaa aso. Wɔn a wɔde akakabensɛm ne nsisie hyehyɛ wɔn abosomfie ma no.
10 And in that day, says the Lord, there will be the sound of a cry from the fish doorway, and an outcry from the new town, and a great thundering from the hills, and cries of grief from the people of the Hollow;
“Saa ɛda no,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie, “Esu bɛfiri Mpataa Ɛpono ano, agyaadwotwa bɛfiri Atenaeɛ Foforɔ na nnyegyeeɛ a ano yɛ den afiri nkokoɔ no so aba.
11 Because of the downfall of all the people of Canaan: all those who were weighted down with silver have been cut off.
Montwa adwo, mo a mote adetɔnbea hɔ no wɔbɛtɔre wɔn a mo ne wɔn di dwa ase, dwetɛ adwadifoɔ nyinaa nso wɔbɛsɛe wɔn.
12 And it will come about at that time, that I will go searching through Jerusalem with lights; and I will send punishment on the men who have become like wine stored over-long, who say to themselves, The Lord will not do good and will not do evil.
Mede nkanea bɛkyini ahwehwɛ Yerusalem mu na matwe wɔn a wɔgyaagyaa wɔn ho aso, wɔn a wɔte sɛ bobesa puo no, a wɔdwene sɛ, ‘Awurade nnyɛ wɔn hwee sɛ ɛyɛ papa anaa bɔne.’
13 And their wealth will be violently taken away, and their houses will be made waste: they will go on building houses and never living in them, and planting vine-gardens but not drinking the wine from them.
Wɔbɛfom wɔn ahonyadeɛ, na wɔabubu wɔn afie agu. Wɔbɛsisi afie, nanso wɔrentena mu wɔbɛyɛ bobe mfuo nanso wɔrennom emu nsã.”
14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and coming very quickly; the bitter day of the Lord is near, coming on more quickly than a man of war.
Awurade ɛda kɛseɛ no abɛn, abɛn na ɛreba ntɛm so. Tie! Osu a wɔbɛsu Awurade ɛda no bɛyɛ ya, ɔkofoɔ a ɔwɔ hɔ nso nteamu bɛyɛ saa ara.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and sorrow, a day of wasting and destruction, a day of dark night and deep shade, a day of cloud and thick dark.
Saa ɛda no bɛyɛ abufuo ɛda, ɛyɛ ahoyera ne ɔyea ɛda; ɛyɛ amanehunu ne ɔsɛeɛ ɛda, ɛyɛ esum ne kusukuukuu ɛda ɛyɛ omununkum ne kusuuyɛ ɛda,
16 A day of sounding the horn and the war-cry against the walled towns and the high towers.
ɛyɛ totorobɛnto hyɛn ne ɔko nteam a ɛtia nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ banbɔ ne ntwɛtwɛaso abantenten ɛda.
17 And I will send trouble on men so that they will go about like the blind, because they have done evil against the Lord: and their blood will be drained out like dust, and their strength like waste.
“Mede awerɛhoɔ bɛba nnipa no so na wɔbɛnante sɛ anifirafoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ wɔayɛ bɔne atia Awurade. Wɔbɛhwie wɔn mogya agu sɛ mfuturo, na wɔn ayamdeɛ nso sɛ atantanneɛ.
18 Even their silver and their gold will not be able to keep them safe in the day of the Lord's wrath; but all the land will be burned up in the fire of his bitter wrath: for he will put an end, even suddenly, to all who are living in the land.
Wɔn dwetɛ anaa sikakɔkɔɔ rentumi nnye wɔn nkwa wɔ Awurade abufuo ɛda no.” Ne ninkuntwe mu ogya no bɛhye ɔman no nyinaa, na ɔbɛma asase no so tefoɔ nyinaa nkwa aba awieeɛ mpofirim.
