TORAH
NEVI'IM
KETUVIM
Zephaniah - Chapter 1
Translation and Transliteration of
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1The word of Hashem that came to Tzefanya son of Kushi son of Gedalya son of Amariah son of Chizkiyahu, during the reign of King Yoshiyahu son of Amon of Yehuda.
אדְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל־צְפַנְיָה בֶּן־כּוּשִׁי בֶן־גְּדַלְיָה בֶּן־אֲמַרְיָה בֶּן־חִזְקִיָּה בִּימֵי יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹן מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃
2I will sweep everything away From the face of the earth —declares Hashem.
באָסֹף אָסֵף כֹּל מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃
3I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea. I will make the wicked stumble, And I will destroy mankind From the face of the earth —declares Hashem.
גאָסֵף אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה אָסֵף עוֹף־הַשָּׁמַיִם וּדְגֵי הַיָּם וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלוֹת אֶת־הָרְשָׁעִים וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת־הָאָדָם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃
4I will stretch out My arm against Yehuda And against all who dwell in Yerushalayim; And I will wipe out from this place Every vestige of Baal, And the name of the priestlings along with the Kohanim;
דוְנָטִיתִי יָדִי עַל־יְהוּדָה וְעַל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם וְהִכְרַתִּי מִן־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֶת־שְׁאָר הַבַּעַל אֶת־שֵׁם הַכְּמָרִים עִם־הַכֹּהֲנִים׃
5And those who bow down on the roofs To the host of heaven; And those who bow down and swear to Hashem But also swear by Malcam;
הוְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִים עַל־הַגַּגּוֹת לִצְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִים הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים לַיהֹוָה וְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִים בְּמַלְכָּם׃
6And those who have forsaken Hashem, And those who have not sought Hashem And have not turned to Him.
ווְאֶת־הַנְּסוֹגִים מֵאַחֲרֵי יְהֹוָה וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא־בִקְשׁוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה וְלֹא דְרָשֻׁהוּ׃
7Be silent before my God, For the day of Hashem is approaching; For Hashem has prepared a sacrificial feast, Has bidden His guests purify themselves.
זהַס מִפְּנֵי אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם יְהֹוָה כִּי־הֵכִין יְהֹוָה זֶבַח הִקְדִּישׁ קְרֻאָיו׃
8And on the day of Hashem's sacrifice I will punish the officials And the king's sons, And all who don a foreign vestment.
חוְהָיָה בְּיוֹם זֶבַח יְהֹוָה וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל־הַשָּׂרִים וְעַל־בְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְעַל כָּל־הַלֹּבְשִׁים מַלְבּוּשׁ נָכְרִי׃
9I will also punish on that day Everyone who steps over the threshold, Who fill their master's palace With lawlessness and fraud.
טוּפָקַדְתִּי עַל כָּל־הַדּוֹלֵג עַל־הַמִּפְתָּן בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא הַמְמַלְאִים בֵּית אֲדֹנֵיהֶם חָמָס וּמִרְמָה׃
10In that day there shall be —declares Hashem— A loud outcry from the Fish Gate, And howling from the Mishneh, And a sound of great anguish from the hills.
יוְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה קוֹל צְעָקָה מִשַּׁעַר הַדָּגִים וִילָלָה מִן־הַמִּשְׁנֶה וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל מֵהַגְּבָעוֹת׃
11The dwellers of the Machtesh howl; For all the tradesmen have perished, All who weigh silver are wiped out.
יאהֵילִילוּ יֹשְׁבֵי הַמַּכְתֵּשׁ כִּי נִדְמָה כָּל־עַם כְּנַעַן נִכְרְתוּ כָּל־נְטִילֵי כָסֶף׃
12At that time, I will search Yerushalayim with lamps; And I will punish the men Who rest untroubled on their lees, Who say to themselves, “Hashem will do nothing, good or bad.”
יבוְהָיָה בָּעֵת הַהִיא אֲחַפֵּשׂ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם בַּנֵּרוֹת וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַקֹּפְאִים עַל־שִׁמְרֵיהֶם הָאֹמְרִים בִּלְבָבָם לֹא־יֵיטִיב יְהֹוָה וְלֹא יָרֵעַ׃
13Their wealth shall be plundered And their homes laid waste. They shall build houses and not dwell in them, Plant vineyards and not drink their wine.
יגוְהָיָה חֵילָם לִמְשִׁסָּה וּבָתֵּיהֶם לִשְׁמָמָה וּבָנוּ בָתִּים וְלֹא יֵשֵׁבוּ וְנָטְעוּ כְרָמִים וְלֹא יִשְׁתּוּ אֶת־יֵינָם׃
14The great day of Hashem is approaching, Approaching most swiftly. Hark, the day of Hashem! It is bitter: There a warrior shrieks!
ידקָרוֹב יוֹם־יְהֹוָה הַגָּדוֹל קָרוֹב וּמַהֵר מְאֹד קוֹל יוֹם יְהֹוָה מַר צֹרֵחַ שָׁם גִּבּוֹר׃
15That day shall be a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of calamity and desolation, A day of darkness and deep gloom, A day of densest clouds,
YOM ev-RAH ha-YOM ha-HU YOM tza-RAH um-tzu-KAH YOM sho-AH um-sho-AH YOM KHO-shekh va-a-fay-LAH YOM a-NAN va-a-ra-FEL
טויוֹם עֶבְרָה הַיּוֹם הַהוּא יוֹם צָרָה וּמְצוּקָה יוֹם שֹׁאָה וּמְשׁוֹאָה יוֹם חֹשֶׁךְ וַאֲפֵלָה יוֹם עָנָן וַעֲרָפֶל׃
1:15 A day of calamity and desolation
People stand for the Yom Hashoah siren in Jerusalem
The Hebrew name of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Hashoah (יום השואה), comes from this verse. When describing the devastating destruction of Yerushalayim, Tzefanya refers to that day as yom shoah umishoah (יום שואה ומשואה), ‘A day of calamity and desolation’. Yom Hashoah was established by the Knesset in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II. It coincides with the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, remembering not only the destruction of European Jewry, but also the heroic revolt which serves as a symbol of defiance against oppression. Yom Hashoah is commemorated in Israel with a siren that is sounded in the morning, bringing everyone, even highway traffic, to a standstill for a minute of silence in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. Memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country, and entertainment establishments are closed in the evening, to focus on the solemness of the day.
16A day of shofar blasts and alarms— Against the fortified towns And the lofty corner towers.
טזיוֹם שׁוֹפָר וּתְרוּעָה עַל הֶעָרִים הַבְּצֻרוֹת וְעַל הַפִּנּוֹת הַגְּבֹהוֹת׃
17I will bring distress on the people, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they sinned against Hashem; Their blood shall be spilled like dust, And their fat like dung.
יזוַהֲצֵרֹתִי לָאָדָם וְהָלְכוּ כַּעִוְרִים כִּי לַיהֹוָה חָטָאוּ וְשֻׁפַּךְ דָּמָם כֶּעָפָר וּלְחֻמָם כַּגְּלָלִים׃
18Moreover, their silver and gold Shall not avail to save them. On the day of Hashem's wrath, In the fire of His passion, The whole land shall be consumed; For He will make a terrible end Of all who dwell in the land.
יחגַּם־כַּסְפָּם גַּם־זְהָבָם לֹא־יוּכַל לְהַצִּילָם בְּיוֹם עֶבְרַת יְהֹוָה וּבְאֵשׁ קִנְאָתוֹ תֵּאָכֵל כָּל־הָאָרֶץ כִּי־כָלָה אַךְ־נִבְהָלָה יַעֲשֶׂה אֵת כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ׃