Sefania 1
1 Hili ni neno la Yahwe ambalo lilikuja kwa Sefania mwana wa Kushi mwana wa Gedalia mwana wa Amaria mwana Hezekia, katika siku za Yosia mwana wa Amoni, mfalme wa Yuda. “
The word of the LORD which came unto 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.
2 Nitaangamiza kabisa kila kitu kutoka usoni mwa dunia - hili ni tamko la Bwana mwenyewe.
I will utterly consume all things from off the face of the ground, saith the LORD.
3 Nitamwangamiza mtu na mnyama; Nitawaangamiza ndege wa mbinguni na samaki wa baharini, uharibifu pamoja na waovu. Hivyo nitamfutilia mbali mtu kutoka uso wa dunia - hili ni tamko la Bwana mwenyewe.
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 face of the ground, saith the LORD.
4 Nitafika kwa mkono wangu juu ya Yuda na wote wenyeji wa Yerusalemu. Nitafutilia mbali kila mabaki ya Baali kutoka sehemu hii na majina ya watu waabuduo sanamu miongoni mwa makuhani,
And I will 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 Chemarim with the priests;
5 watu ambao juu ya nyumba huabudu miili ya mbinguni, na watu ambao huabudu na kuapa kwa Yahwe bali ambao pia huapa kwa mfalme wao.
and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, which swear to the LORD and swear by Malcam;
6 Nitawafutilia mbali pia wale ambao wamegeuka nyuma kutoka kumfuata Yahwe, wale ambao pia humtafuta Yahwe pasipo kuuliza ulinzi wake.
and them that are turned back from following the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor inquired after him.
7 Uwe kimya mbele ya Bwana Yahwe! Kwa kuwa siku ya Yahwe ni karibu, Yahwe ameandaa dhabihu na amewatenga wageni wake.
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 sanctified his guests.
8 “Itakuja katika siku ya dhabihu ya Bwana, hivyo nitawapiga wakuu na wana wa mfalme, na kila mmoja aliyevikwa mavazi ya kigeni.
And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
9 Katika siku hiyo nitawapiga wote wale ambao huruka juu ya kizingiti, wale ambao hujaza nyumba ya bwana wao kwa vurugu na udanganyifu.
And in that day I will punish all those that leap over the threshold, which fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.
10 Itakuwa katika siku ile - hili ni tangazo la Yahwe - kwamba kilio cha huzuni kitakuja kutoka kwenye mlango wa samaki, ikipiga yowe kutoka Wilaya ya Pili, na sauti ya kishindo kikuu kutoka vilimani.
And in that day, saith the LORD, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills.
11 Pigeni yowe, wenyeji wa Soko la Wilaya, kwa wote wafanyabiashara watakuwa wameharibiwa, wote wale ambao hupima fedha watakuwa wamefutiliwa mbali.
Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone: all they that were laden with sliver are cut off.
12 Itakuwa katika siku ile nitaitafuta Yerusalemu kwa taa na kuwapiga wanaume ambao watakuwa wamekaa kwenye mvinyo wao na kusema mioyoni mwao, 'Yahwe hatafanya chochote, ama kizuri au kiovu.'.
And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles; and I will 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 Mali zao zitakuja kuporwa, na nyumba zao zitakuwa zimetelekezwa kwa maangamizi! Watajenga nyumba lakini hawataishi humo, na kupanda mizabibu lakini hawatakunywa mvinyo wake.
And their wealth shall become a spoil, and their houses a desolation: yea, they shall build houses, but shall not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but shall not drink the wine thereof.
14 Siku kubwa ya Yahwe ni karibu, karibu na inaharakisha upesi! Sauti ya siku ya Yahwe itakuwa ya kilio cha uchungu wa kishujaa!
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 crieth there bitterly.
15 Siku hiyo itakuwa siku ya ghadabu, siku ya huzuni na uchungu, siku ya dhoruba na maangamizi, siku ya giza na utusitusi, siku ya mawingu na giza nene.
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 Itakuwa siku ya parapanda na kengele dhidi ya ngome mijini na buruji ndefu.
a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fenced cities, and against the high battlements.
17 Hivyo nitaleta dhiki juu ya wanadamu, kwa hiyo watatembea karibu kama wanaume vipofu tangu walipofanya dhambi dhidi ya Yahwe. Damu yao itamwagwa kama vumbi, na sehemu zao za ndani kama kinyesi.
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 dung.
18 Wala fedha zao wala dhahabu zao hazitaweza kuwaokoa juu ya ghadhabu ya Yahwe. Ndani ya moto wa wivu wake dunia yote itateketezwa, hivyo ataleta ukamilifu, miwisho wa kutisha kwa wote wakaao duniani.”
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 an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land.
