¹Shoko raJehovha, rakasvika kuna Zefaniya, mwanakomana waKushi, mwanakomana waGedharia, mwanakomana waAmaria, mwanakomana waHezekia, namazuva aJosiya, mwanakomana waAmoni, mambo waJudha.

¹The word of Jehovah that 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.

²Ndichaparadza chose zvinhu zvose zviri pasi pose ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

²I will utterly take away everything from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah:

³Ndichaparadza vanhu nezvipfuwo; ndichaparadza shiri dzokudenga, nehove dzegungwa, nezvigumbuso pamwechete navakaipa; ndichabvisa vanhu pasi pose ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

³I will take away man and beast; I will take away the fowl of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks with the wicked, and I will cut off mankind from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah.

⁴Ndichatambanudzira ruoko rwangu kuna Judha, nokuna vose vagere Jerusaremu; ndichabvisa vakasara vaBhaari panzvimbo ino, nezita ravaKemarimi pamwechete navapristi;

⁴And I will stretch forth my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, the name of the Chemarim with the priests;

⁵navanonamata hondo dzokudenga pamatenga edzimba, navanamati, vanopika naJehovha vachipikawo naMarikami;

⁵and them that bow down to the host of the heavens upon the housetops; and them that bow down to Jehovah, that swear by [him], and swear by Malcham;

⁶navakadzoka pakutevera Jehovha, navasina kutsvaka Jehovha kana kumubvunza.

⁶and them that turn back from after Jehovah, and that do not seek Jehovah, nor inquire for him.

⁷Nyararai pamberi paIshe Jehovha, nekuti zuva raJehovha rava pedo; vakakokwa naye wakavaita vatsvene.

⁷Be silent at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; for Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath hallowed his guests.

⁸Zvino nezuva rechibayiro chaJehovha ndicharova machinda navanakomana vamambo, navose vakapfeka nguvo dzavatorwa.

⁸And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

⁹Nezuva iro ndicharova vose vanodarika chikumbaridzo, vanozadza imba yatenzi wavo nokupambara nokunyengera.

⁹And in that day will I punish all those that leap over the threshold, who fill their master's house with violence and deceit.

¹⁰Zvino nezuva iro, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha, kuchanzwika mhere inobva pasuwo rehove, nokuchema kunobva kurutivi rutsva rweguta, nokukoromoka kukuru kunobva kumakomo ,

¹⁰And in that day, saith Jehovah, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish-gate, and a howling from the second [quarter], and a great crashing from the hills.

¹¹Chemai imwi mugere Makiteshi; nekuti vanhu vose veKanani vapera, vose vakanga vakafuma sirivha vabviswa.

¹¹Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh; for all the people of Canaan are cut down, all they that are laden with silver are cut off.

¹²Zvino nenguva iyo ndichanzvera Jerusaremu nemwenje; ndicharova varume vagere pamasese avo, vanoti mumwoyo yavo, Jehovha haangaiti zvakanaka, uye haangaiti zvakaipa.

¹²And it shall come to pass at that time, [that] I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil.

¹³fuma yavo ichaitwa zvakapambwa, nedzimba dzavo matongo; zvirokwazvo, vachavaka dzimba, asi havangagarimo; vachasima minda yemizarnbiringa, asi havangamwi waini yayo.

¹³And their wealth shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation; and they shall build houses, and not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and not drink the wine thereof.

¹⁴Zuva guru raJehovha rava pedo, rava pedo, rinokurumidza kwazvo, iro inzwi rezuva raJehovha; mhare inochemapo zvikuru kwazvo.

¹⁴The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly. The voice of the day of Jehovah: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

¹⁵Zuva iro izuva rokutsamwa, zuva rokutambudzika nokumanikidzwa, zuva rokurashwa nokuparadzwa, zuva rerima nerokusviba, zuva ramakore nerezarima guru,

¹⁵That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and gross darkness,

¹⁶zuva rehwamanda neremhere, zvinoridzirwa maguta akakomberedzwa namasvingo neshongwe dzakakwirira.

¹⁶a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fenced cities and against the high battlements.

¹⁷Ndichauyisira vanhu kumanikidzwa, kuti vafambe samapofu, nekuti vakatadzira Jehovha; ropa ravo richadururwa seguruva, nenyama yavo sendove.

¹⁷And I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men; for they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung:

¹⁸Sirivha yavo kunyange ndarama yavo hazvingagoni kuvarwira nezuva rokutsamwa kwaJehovha; asi nyika yose ichapedzwa nomoto wegodo rake; nekuti achapedza, zvirokwazvo achapedza zvinotyisa, vose vagere panyika.

¹⁸their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them, in the day of Jehovah's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for a full end, yea, a sudden [end], shall he make of all them that dwell in the land.