Sefanaia 1

1 Ko e folofola ʻa Sihova ʻaia naʻe hoko kia Sefanaia ko e foha ʻo Kusi, ko e foha ʻo Ketalia, ko e foha ʻo ʻAmalia, ko e foha ʻo Hesikia, ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo Siosaia ko e foha ʻo ʻAmoni, ko e tuʻi ʻo Siuta.

[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 ‌ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova, “Te u fakaʻauha ʻaupito ʻae ngaahi meʻa kotoa pē mei he fonua.

Yahweh says, “I will (sweep away/destroy) everything [HYP] that is on the earth.

3 Te u fakaʻauha ʻae tangata mo e manu; te u fakaʻauha ʻae fanga manu ʻoe langi, mo e ngaahi ika ʻoe tahi, mo e ngaahi tūkiaʻanga mo e kakai angahala: pea te u tuʻusi ʻae tangata mei he fonua, ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova.

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 Te u mafao atu foki ʻa hoku nima ki Siuta, pea ki he kakai kotoa pē ʻo Selūsalema; pea te u tuʻusi mei he potu ni ʻae toenga ʻo Peali, mo e hingoa ʻo Kimalime, mo e ngaahi taulaʻeiki;

“[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 Pea mo kinautolu ʻoku hū ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻoe langi ʻi he tuʻa fale, mo kinautolu ʻoku lotu mo fuakava ʻia Sihova, pea ʻoku fuakava ʻia Malikami;

[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 Pea mo kinautolu kuo ʻikai ke kumi kia Sihova, pe fehuʻi kiate ia.”

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 Ke ke fakalongo pē ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻEiki ko e ʻOtua: he ʻoku ofi ʻae ʻaho ʻo Sihova: he kuo teuteu ʻe Sihova ʻae feilaulau, kuo ne tala ki heʻene kakai.

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 Pea ʻe hoko ia ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe feilaulau ʻa Sihova, te u tautea ʻae houʻeiki, mo e fānau ʻae tuʻi, mo kinautolu kotoa pē kuo kofuʻaki ʻae kofu kehe.

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 ‌ʻI he ʻaho ko ia foki te u tautea ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ʻoku hopo ʻi he lakaʻanga ʻoe matapā, ʻaia ʻoku fakapito ʻae fale ʻo honau ngaahi ʻeiki ʻaki ʻae fakamālohi mo e kākā.

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 ‌ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova, pea ʻe hoko ia ʻi he ʻaho ko ia, ʻe ai ʻae longoaʻa ʻoe tangi mei he matapā ika, mo e tāngiloa mei hono ua, mo e maumau lahi mei he ngaahi moʻunga.

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 Tangi ʻakimoutolu ʻae kakai ʻo Makitesi, he kuo tuʻusi ki lalo ʻae kakai fakatau kotoa pē: kuo tuʻusi ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ʻoku fua ʻae siliva.

[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 Pea ʻe hoko ʻi he kuonga ko ia, te u hakule ʻa Selūsalema ʻaki ʻae ngaahi maama, pea tautea ʻae kakai ʻoku nau nofo fakafiemālie hifo: ʻaia ʻoku pehē ʻi honau loto, “ʻE ʻikai fai ha lelei ʻe Sihova, pea ʻe ʻikai te ne fai ha kovi.”

[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 Ko ia ʻe hoko ai ʻa ʻenau koloa ko e vetea, mo honau ngaahi fale ko e fakaʻauha: te nau langa foki ʻae ngaahi fale, ka ʻe ʻikai nofo ai; pea te nau tō ai ʻae ngaahi ngoue vaine, ka ʻe ʻikai inu ʻi hono uaine.

[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 ‌ʻOku ofi ʻae ʻaho lahi ʻo Sihova, ʻio, ʻoku ofi ia, pea ʻoku fakatoʻotoʻo mai ʻaupito; ʻoku fakamamahi ʻae leʻo ʻoe ʻaho ʻo Sihova: ʻe toki tangi kalanga ai ʻae tangata mālohi.

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 Ko e ʻaho ko ia ko e ʻaho ʻoe houhau, ko e ʻaho ʻoe tuʻutāmaki mo e mamahi, ko e ʻaho ʻoe maveuveu, mo e fakaʻauha, ko e ʻaho ʻoe poʻuli, mo e fakapoʻupoʻuli, ko e ʻaho ʻoe ngaahi ʻao, mo e poʻuli matolu,

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 Ko e ʻaho ʻoe meʻalea, mo e kalanga ki he ngaahi kolo ʻoku ʻāʻi, pea ki he ngaahi fale māʻolunga.

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 Pea te u ʻomi ʻae mamahi ki he kakai, ke nau ʻalu ʻo hangē ko e kakai kui, koeʻuhi kuo nau angahala kia Sihova: pea ʻe huaʻi honau toto ʻo hangē ko e efu, mo honau kakano ʻo hangē ko e kinohaʻa.

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 Pea ʻe ʻikai ke faʻa fakahaofi ʻakinautolu ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe houhau ʻo Sihova ʻe heʻenau siliva, pe ko ʻenau koula; ka ʻe keina ʻae fonua kotoa ʻi he afi ʻo ʻene fuaʻa: he te ne fai ke ʻosi vave ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ʻoku nofo ʻi he fonua.

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.