Sefania 2

1 Mommoaboa mo ho ano, mommoaboa mo ho ano, Ao, animguaseɛ ɔman,

Collect your thoughts, aye collect them, —O nation, depressed!

2 ansa na ɛberɛ a wɔahyɛ no aduru, na ɛda no resene te sɛ ntɛtɛ, ansa na Awurade abufuhyeɛ no aba mo so, ansa na Awurade abufuo ɛda no aba mo so.

Ere yet the decree, have given birth, like chaff, the day, have vanished, —ere yet shall come upon you, the glow of the anger of Yahweh, ere yet shall come upon you, the day of the anger of Yahweh.

3 Monhwehwɛ Awurade, ahobrɛasefoɔ a mowɔ asase so, mo a moyɛ nʼahyɛdeɛ. Monhwehwɛ tenenee, monhwehwɛ ahobrɛaseɛ; ebia ɔbɛkora mo Awurade abufuo ɛda no.

Seek Yahweh—all ye lowly of the land, who have wrought, what he appointed, —seek righteousness, seek humility, peradventure, ye shall be concealed, in the day of the anger of Yahweh?

4 Wɔbɛgya Gasa na wɔagya Askelon sɛ kurofo. Owigyinaeɛ na ɔbɛma Asdod ada mpam na wɔatutu Ekron ase.

For, Gaza, forsaken, shall be, and, Ashkelon, a desolation, —Ashdod! at high noon, shall they drive her forth, and, Ekron, be uprooted:

5 Monnue mo a mote mpoano, Ao, mo Keretifoɔ; Awurade asɛm tia mo. Ao, Kanaan, Filistifoɔ asase. Mɛtɔre mo ase, na obiara renka.

Alas! for the inhabitants of the line of the sea, the nation of Kerethim, —The word of Yahweh, is against you, O Canaan of the land of the Philistines, therefore will I destroy thee, to the last inhabitant.

6 Asase a ɛda mpoano, baabi a Keretifoɔ teɛ bɛyɛ atenaeɛ ama nnwanhwɛfoɔ ne wɔn nnwammuo.

So shall the line of the sea become a meadow, the wells of shepherds, and the folds of flocks;

7 Saa asase no bɛyɛ Yudafie nkaeɛfoɔ no dea; ɛhɔ na wɔbɛnya mmoa adidibea. Anwummerɛ wɔbɛdeda wɔ Askelon afie mu. Na Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn bɛhwɛ wɔn, na ɔde wɔn ahonyadeɛ nyinaa bɛsane ama wɔn.

And the line shall belong to the remnant of the house of Judah, Thereon, shall they feed their flocks, —In the houses of Ashkelon, shall they, at eventide, lie down, for Yahweh their God will visit them, and bring their captives back.

8 “Mate Moab nsopa ne Amonfoɔ atweetweɛ; wɔn a wɔsopaa me nkurɔfoɔ na wɔhunahunaa wɔn wɔ wɔn asase ho.

I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the sons of Ammon, —who have reproached my people, and have magnified themselves up to their bounds.

9 Enti, sɛ mete ase yi,” sɛdeɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, seɛ nie, “Ampa ara Moab bɛyɛ sɛ Sodom, na Amonfoɔ ayɛ sɛ Gomora, baabi a ewira ne nkyɛn amena wɔ, asase a ɛda mpan afebɔɔ. Me ɔman nkaeɛ bɛfom wɔn afa; me manfoɔ a wɔbɛnya wɔn ti adidim bɛfa wɔn asase.”

Wherefore, as I live, declareth Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, Surely, Moab, like Sodom, shall become, and, the sons of Ammon, like Gomorrah, a possession for the thorn, and a pit of salt, Yea a desolation, unto times age-abiding: The remnant of my people, shall make of them a prey, and, the residue of my nation, shall inherit them.

10 Wɔn ahantan so akatua a wɔbɛnya nie, sɛ wɔsopa na wɔtwetwe Asafo Awurade nkurɔfoɔ enti.

This, shall they have, instead of their pride, —because they reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh of hosts.

11 Awurade ho suro bɛba wɔn so ɛberɛ a ɔbɛsɛe asase no so anyame nyinaa. Mpoano aman nyinaa bɛsɔre no, wɔ wɔn ankasa wɔn asase so.

Terrible will Yahweh be against them, for he hath caused to waste away all the gods of the earth, that men may bow down to him, every one from his place, all the coastlands of the nations:

12 “Mo Etiopiafoɔ nso, mʼakofena ano na wɔbɛkunkum mo.”

Even ye Ethiopians, the slain of my sword were they!

13 Awurade bɛtene ne nsa wɔ atifi aman so na wasɛe Asiria, na wama Ninewe ada mpan koraa na ɛso awo wesee sɛ anwea pradada so.

And may he stretch out his hand against the North, and destroy Assyria, —and may he make of Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert!

14 Nnwankuo ne anantwie bɛdeda hɔ, mmoadoma nyinaa. Ɛserɛ so patuo ne ɔbonsam anoma bɛtena nʼadum no so. Wɔn su bɛgyegye mpomma mu, mmubuiɛ bɛsisi apono ano akwan, mpunan a wɔde ntweneduro ayɛ no ho bɛdeda hɔ.

So shall lie down in her midst—flocks, each living thing of a nation, both pelican and bittern, in her capitals, shall roost, —a voice, shall resound in the window, the bustard, on the sill, for he hath destroyed, hath laid bare.

15 Yei ne kuropɔn a ɛdi ahurisie na ɛte asomdwoeɛ mu. Ɔhoahoa ne ho sɛ, “Me ne no, obiara nte sɛ me.” Hwɛ sɛ deɛ atete apansam, na ayɛ nkeka mmoa atenaeɛ! Obiara a ɔtwam hɔ no sere no, hugya ne nsa fɛdie so.

This, is the city exultant, that sat secure, that said in her heart, I, [am]! and no one besides! How hath she become a desolation! a lair of beasts, every one passing, by her doth hiss, shaketh his hand.