Tohi he Tohi Tapu Numera 36​—Sefanaia

Tagata Tohia: Sefanaia

Matakavi Tohia: Iuta

Katoatoa he Tohia: Ato hoko e 648 F.V.N.

KE HE kamataaga he pule he Patuiki ko Iosia ha Iuta (659-629 F.V.N.), magahala ne kua tupu lahi e tapuaki Paala mo e takitaki he “tau ekepoa ke he tau tupua” e tapuakiaga nakai meā nei, ne liga fakaofo e tau tagata ha Ierusalema he fekau ne fakailoa malolō he perofeta ko Sefanaia. Pete he liga ko ia taha hologa he Patuiki ko Hesekia he magafaoa patuiki a Iuta, ne tuhituhi lahi a Sefanaia ke he tuaga he motu. (Sefa. 1:1, 4) Ko e fekau haana ko e fekau he malaia. Ne nakai omaoma e tau tagata he Atua, ti ko Iehova ni ka liuaki a lautolu ke he tapuakiaga meā mo e fakamonuina a lautolu ke liga maeke ke fekafekau ma e “higoa mo e fakahekeaga ke he tau motu oti he lalolagi.” (3:20) Ne fakakite e Sefanaia ko e fakalago mai faka-Atua ni ka maeke taha ke ‘galo he aho he ita a Iehova.’ (2:3) Kua felauaki ha e higoa haana Tsephan·yahʹ (faka-Heperu), kakano “Kua Fufū e Iehova (Tatanaki Hake)”!

² Ne fai fua e tau laliaga ha Sefanaia. Ko e Patuiki ko Iosia, ne nofo ke he nofoaiki he valu e tau, ne kamata he tau ke 12 aki he pule ke “fakamea a Iuta mo Ierusalema.” Ne utakehe e ia e tapuaki fakavai, fakafoou “e fale a Iehova,” mo e liu fakatū e fakamanatuaga he Paseka. (2 Nofo., veveheaga 34, 35) Ne kū ni e tau liu fakafoou he Patuiki ko Iosia, ha kua hukui he tau tama taane tokotolu haana mo e taha he tau mokopuna haana a ia, ko lautolu oti ne eke e “tau mahani kelea loga ki mua a Iehova.” (2 Nofo. 36:1-12) Ko e tau fakamooliaga oti anei ke he tau kupu ha Sefanaia: “To taui atu ai au ke he tau iki mo e tau tama he patuiki, katoa foki mo lautolu . . . kua fakapuke e fale he iki ha lautolu ke he favale mo e mahani pikopiko.”—Sefa. 1:8, 9.

³ Mai he vala i luga ne tuga ko e “kupu a Iehova ne hoko mai kia Sefanaia” fai magaaho ato hoko e 648 F.V.N., he tau ke 12 aki ha Iosia. Ne nakai ni talahau he kupu fakamua a ia hane vagahau i Iuta ka e fakakite mai he iloa lahi e ia e tau matakavi mo e tau aga fakamotu ha Ierusalema ne talahau foki na nofo a ia i Iuta. Ne ua e fekau ne ha ha he tohi, ne fakamatakutaku mo e fakamafanatia. Laulahi he tohi, kua matapatu ke he aho ha Iehova, ko e aho matakutakuina kua teitei hoko mai, ka e he magaaho taha, kua talahau tuai to toka e Iehova e tau tagata holoilalo ne “tua foki a lautolu ke he higoa a Iehova.”—1:1, 7-18; 3:12.

⁴ Ko e tonutika he tohi nei he perofetaaga kua nakai fakaai ke totoko ki ai. Ne moumou a Ierusalema he 607 F.V.N., molea e 40 e tau he mole he talahau tuai e Sefanaia. Nakai ni ha ha ia tautolu e tau fakamauaga hokoia he tau tohi fakalalolagi ne hagaao ke he mena nei ka e kua haia ni i loto he Tohi Tapu e tau fakamooliaga ko e mena tupu e tau mena nei tuga ni he perofeta e Sefanaia. He nakaila leva e moumou a Ierusalema, ne tohi e Ieremia e tohi he Tagi Aue, ne fakamaama e tau mena matakutaku ne kitia e ia, he maaliali agaia ke he loto haana. Ko e fakataiaga he tau faahi kupu loga ne fakakite mai ko e fekau ha Sefanaia kua mooli ni kua “mai he [a]gaga he Atua.” Ne hataki e Sefanaia e lata ke fakatokihala “ka e nakaila hoko mai kia mutolu e aho he ita a Iehova,” ka kua hagaao a Ieremia ke he taha mena kua fitā he tupu he magaaho ne pehē a ia, “Kua liligi ai e [Iehova] hana ita lahi.” (Sefa. 2:2; Aue 4:11) Ne talahau tuai e Sefanaia “to fakamamahi foki e [Iehova] e tau tagata, ti o a lautolu po ke tau tagata matapouli, . . . to fakamaligi ai ha lautolu a toto tuga ne efuefu.” (Sefa. 1:17) Ne tutala a Ieremia ke he mena nei kua fitā mooli he tupu: “Kua hehe fano a lautolu ke he tau puhala ko e tau matapouli a lautolu, ne kelea a lautolu he toto.”—Aue 4:14; fakatatai foki Sefanaia 1:13—Tagi Aue 5:2; Sefanaia 2:8, 10—Tagi Aue 1:9, 16 mo e Aue 3:61.

⁵ Ne hokotaki mai foki he fakamauaga tala tuai e moumouaga he tau motu pouliuli, ko Moapi mo Amoni pihia mo Asuria, putoia e maaga lahi haana ko Nineva, tuga ni he talahau tuai e Sefanaia ha kua fekau he Atua. Tuga ni he talahau tuai he perofeta ko Nahuma e moumouaga ha Nineva (Nahu. 1:1; 2:10), ne fakailoa e Sefanaia “to eke foki e [Iehova] a Nineva mo tau mena kua moumou, ko e motu nakai fai vai tuga ne tutakale.” (Sefa. 2:13) Ko e moumouaga katoatoa anei ati teitei 200 e tau he mole, ko e tagata tohi tala tuai ko Herodotus ne tohi hagaao ke he Tigris “ko e vailele ne tu ai e taone ha Nineva he vahā fakamua.”a Kavi ke he 150 V.N., ko e tagata tohia mai i Heleni ko Lucian ne tohi “kua galo tamokimoki ai mogonei.”b Ne talahau mai he The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible (1970), lau 669, ko e tau kau ne tau atu ki ai “ne lagomatai lahi ha kua amanaki ti puke lahi e Tigris, ti matafi kehe e vala lahi he kaupa he maaga ati nakai fai puipui ai. . . . Kua moumou katoatoa ai ati hoko ke he tau vahā he tau Heleni mo e tau Roma kua teitei ni a Nineva ke tuga e tala tuai fakavai. Ka e he magahala ia ni ko e vala he maaga lahi ne tanumia i lalo he tau putuputuaga otaota.” He lau 627 he volume taha ia ne fakakite kua moumou foki a Moapi tuga ni ne perofeta: “Ne fakakaumahala e Nepukanesa e tau Moapi.” Ne hokotaki foki e Josephus e fakakaumahala ha Amoni.c Fakahiku ai ne nakai tuai fai tagata Moapi mo e tau Amoni.

⁶ Ne tuku tumau he tau Iutaia e Sefanaia ke he tokaaga hako he kanona he tau Tohiaga Tapu omoomoi. Ko e tau fakailoaaga ne talahau ke he higoa ha Iehova kua fakamooli maaliali ai, ko e fakatokolugaaga ki a Iehova.

KAKANO NE AOGA AI

¹⁰ Ko e Patuiki ko Iosia taha ne fanogonogo ke he fekau hataki ha Sefanaia ti aoga lahi mahaki mai i ai. Ne kamata e ia e matagahua lahi he liu fakafoou e tau lotu. Ne fakamaama foki he mena nei e tohi he Fakatufono ne galo tali mai he magaaho ne malona e fale ha Iehova. Ne maanu a Iosia he logona e tau fua ka moua he nakai omaoma he totou age ki a ia mai he tohi nei, ne fakamooli ai mai he gutu he taha tagata fakamatala, ko Mose, e tau kupu ha Sefanaia ne fa e perofeta tali mai he vahā loa. Ne fakatokolalo e Iosia a ia mogonei ki mua he Atua, ti ko e fua ne mavehe a Iehova ki a ia to nakai fakahoko e moumouaga ne talahau tuai he vahā haana. (Teu. veveheaga 28-30; 2 Patu. 22:8-20) Ne hao e motu mai he matematekelea! Ka e nakai leva, ha kua kaumahala e fanau taane ha Iosia ke muitua ke he fakafifitakiaga mitaki ne fakatoka e ia. Pete ia, ko Iosia mo e haana tau tagata, ko e fanogonogo ha lautolu ke he “kupu a Iehova ne hoko mai kia Sefanaia” ne kua aoga lahi mooli.—Sefa. 1:1.

¹¹ He haana Lauga talahaua he Mouga, ko e perofeta mua ue atu he Atua ko Keriso Iesu, ne lalago ko Sefanaia ko e perofeta mooli he Atua he talahau e tau kupu ne ofoofogia e tatai ke he tau fakatonuaga ha Sefanaia he veveheaga 2 kupu 3: “Kia kumi e mutolu a Iehova ko mutolu oti ne mahani molu . . . kia kumi e mutolu e mahani tututonu, kia kumi e mutolu e mahani molu.” Ne tomatoma e Iesu: “Kia kumikumi fakamua a mutolu ke he kautu he Atua mo e hana tututonu.” (Mata. 6:33) Ko lautolu ne kumi fakamua e Kautu he Atua kua lata ke puipui mai neke tuga e aga fakateaga ne hataki e Sefanaia hagaao ki ai he pehē a ia ko “lautolu foki kua liliu kehe ia Iehova. Mo lautolu kua nakai kumi kia ia, po ke huhu a lautolu kia ia” mo e “pehe age ke he tau loto ha lautolu, Nakai eke e Iehova ha mena mitaki, to nakai eke foki e ia ha mena kelea.” (Sefa. 1:6, 12) He tohi haana ke he tau Heperu, ne tala age foki e Paulo hagaao ke he aho fakafiliaga hane hau mo e hataki ke nakai tukumuli. Ne lafi e ia: “Nakai ha ia lautolu kua tukumuli ke he malaia, ka ko lautolu kua tua ke momoui ai e tau agaga.” (Hepe. 10:30, 37-39) Ne nakai ki a lautolu ne fiu po ko lautolu ne nakai loto fakaaue ka e ki a lautolu ne mahani molu mo e fakatokolalo he kumi mo e tua ki a Iehova ati pehē ai e perofeta: “Po ke galo nakai a mutolu ke he aho he ita a Iehova.” Ko e ha ne pehē ai “po ke”? Kakano kua fakavē ni e fakamouiaga tukulagi ke he puhala moui he tagata. (Mata. 24:13) Ko e fakamanatu foki kua nakai maeke ia tautolu ke uta fakateaga e fakaalofa noa he Atua. Ne nakai fakauaua e perofetaaga ha Sefanaia ke he hoko fakaofo mai he aho ia ke he tau tagata ne nakai nonofo amaamanaki.—Sefa. 2:3; 1:14, 15; 3:8.

¹² Ko e fekau anei ne talahau tuai e moumouaga ma lautolu ne agahala ki a Iehova ka e foaki tuai e tau fakakiteaga maaliali he tau monuina ma lautolu ne fakatokihala mo e ‘kumi a Iehova.’ Kua maeke a lautolu nei ne fakatokihala ke fakamalolō ha kua pehē a Sefanaia, “ko e Patuiki a Isaraela, ko Iehova, ha i ai a ia i loto ia koe.” Ti nakai ko e magaaho ma Siona ke matakutaku po ke tagatagatō e tau lima ke he gahua. Ko e magaaho anei ke falanaki ki a Iehova. “Kua malolo a [I]a. To fakamoui ai e ia; to olioli a ia kia koe mo e fiafia; ko e hana fakaalofa nakai vagahau ai a ia; to olioli ai a ia kia koe mo e leo fiafia.” To fiafia foki a lautolu ne ‘kumikumi fakamua ke he kautu he Atua,’ he tatali ke he haana puipuiaga fakaalofa mo e monuina tukulagi!—3:15-17.

[Tau Matahui Tala]