< Zefania 2 >

1 Mwĩcookanĩrĩriei hamwe, mwĩcookanĩrĩriei hamwe inyuĩ rũrĩrĩ rũrũ rũtarĩ thoni.
You people [of Judah] who ought to be ashamed, gather together [DOU].
2 Mwĩcookanĩrĩriei mbere ya ihinda rĩrĩa rĩtuĩtwo gũkinya, mũthenya ũcio ũmũkorerere ta ũrĩa mũũngũ ũmbũragwo nĩ rũhuho, mbere ya marakara mahiũ ma Jehova mamũkore, mbere ya mũthenya ũcio wa mangʼũrĩ ma Jehova kũmũkora.
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.
3 Cariai Jehova, inyuĩ andũ othe arĩa enyiihia a bũrũri, inyuĩ arĩa mwĩkaga ũrĩa aathanĩte. Mwĩcarĩriei ũthingu, mwĩcarĩriei kwĩnyiihia; no gũkorwo nĩmũkagitĩrwo mũthenya ũcio wa marakara ma Jehova.
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.
4 Itũũra rĩa Gaza nĩrĩgatiganĩrio, narĩo itũũra rĩa Ashikeloni rĩanangwo. Andũ a Ashidodi makaarutũrũrwo mũthenya barigici, narĩo itũũra rĩa Ekironi rĩthario ta mũtĩ ũkũmunywo.
[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.
5 Inyuĩ arĩa mũtũũraga ndwere-inĩ cia iria, o inyuĩ Akerethi, kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ! Ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova nĩ ĩgũũkĩrĩire, wee Kaanani, bũrũri wa Afilisti. “Nĩngakũniina, na gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe ũgaatigara.”
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).
6 Bũrũri ũcio ũrĩ ndwere-inĩ cia iria, o kũu Akerethi matũũraga, gũgaatuĩka kũndũ gwa gwakwo ithũnũ cia arĩithi, na ciugũ cia ngʼondu.
The land [of Philistia] near the sea will become a pasture, a place for shepherds and their sheep pens.
7 Bũrũri ũcio ũgaatuĩka wa matigari ma nyũmba ya Juda; kũu nĩkuo makoona ũrĩithio. Hwaĩ-inĩ magaakomaga nyũmba cia Ashikeloni. Nake Jehova Ngai wao nĩakamamenyerera, na atũme magaacĩre rĩngĩ.
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.
8 “Nĩnjiguĩte irumi cia Moabi na inyũrũri cia Aamoni, acio maarumire andũ akwa na makĩĩhĩta gũũkĩrĩra bũrũri wao.”
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.
9 Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe, Ngai wa Isiraeli, ekuuga atĩrĩ, “Ti-itherũ o ta ũrĩa niĩ ndũũraga muoyo-rĩ, Moabi gũgaatuĩka o ta Sodomu, naguo bũrũri wa Aamoni ũtuĩke ta Gomora, kũndũ kwa riya, na marima ma cumbĩ, kũndũ gũtakũraga kĩndũ kuuma tene. Matigari ma andũ akwa nĩmakaamataha; nao andũ a rũrĩrĩ rwakwa arĩa makaahonoka nĩmakagaya bũrũri wao.”
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.”
10 Maũndũ macio nĩmakamakora nĩ ũndũ wa mwĩtĩĩo wao, na nĩ ũndũ wa kũruma na kũnyũrũria andũ a Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe.
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.
11 Jehova nĩagetigĩrwo nĩo rĩrĩa akaananga ngai ciothe cia bũrũri ũcio. Ndũrĩrĩ iria irĩ hũgũrũrũ-inĩ ciothe cia iria nĩikamũhooya, o rũrĩrĩ rũrĩ bũrũri waruo kĩũmbe.
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.
12 “O na inyuĩ, andũ a Kushi, nĩmũkooragwo na rũhiũ rwakwa rwa njora.”
[Yahweh says that] he will also slaughter the people of Ethiopia.
13 Nĩagatambũrũkia guoko gwake okĩrĩre andũ a gathigathini na aniine Ashuri, atige Nineve gũkirĩte ihooru, na kũũmagarĩte o ta werũ.
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.
14 Ndũũru cia mbũri na ngʼombe igaakoma kuo, hamwe na ciũmbe cia mĩthemba yothe. Ndundu cia werũ na ndundu iria ngʼambi nĩikomba itugĩ-inĩ ciakuo. Kayũ ka mĩgambo yacio gakaiguuagwo ndirica-inĩ, hĩba cia mahiga igaakorwo mĩrango-inĩ, nayo mĩgamba ya mĩtarakwa ĩtigwo ũtheri.
[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].
15 Rĩĩrĩ nĩrĩo itũũra rĩrĩa rĩratũire na gĩkeno, o na rĩtarĩ na ũgwati. Rĩrĩa rĩeĩĩraga atĩrĩ, “Niĩ no niĩ, na gũtirĩ ũngĩ tiga niĩ.” Kaĩ nĩrĩkĩanangĩtwo, rĩgatuĩka o kĩmamo kĩa nyamũ cia gĩthaka-ĩ! Arĩa othe mahĩtũkagĩra harĩ rĩo no kũrĩnyũrũria na kũrĩorota.
[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].

< Zefania 2 >