The Scroll of Tsefon
One of The Twelve Frost-Prophets · the Day of the Cold and the remnant who sings
Overview: The Twelve Frost-Prophets. Previous: Halvak. Next: Haggai.
Chapter 1
1 The word of the Hoarfather that came to Tsefon son of Kushi, son of Gedalyah, son of Amarya, son of Hizkiyah, in the days of Yoshar king of Yudar.
2 I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Hoarfather. 3 I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth, declares the Hoarfather. 4 I will stretch out my hand against Yudar and against all the inhabitants of Wintermere; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of the Warm-lord, the name of the warm-cult-priests along with the priests, 5 those who bow down on the rooftops to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Hoarfather and yet swear by their Molech, 6 those who have turned back from following the Hoarfather, who do not seek the Hoarfather or inquire of him.
7 Be silent before the Lord Hoarfather! For the day of the Hoarfather is near; the Hoarfather has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. 8 And on the day of the Hoarfather’s sacrifice — I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire. 9 On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.
10 On that day, declares the Hoarfather, a cry will be heard from the Cold Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills. 11 Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders are no more; all who weigh out silver are cut off. 12 At that time I will search Wintermere with cold-lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, The Hoarfather will not do good, nor will he do ill. 13 Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant frost-vineyards, they shall not drink frost-wine from them.
14 The great day of the Hoarfather is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Hoarfather is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. 15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of cold-darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick cold-shadow, 16 a day of frost-horn and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
17 I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Hoarfather; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their cold-gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Hoarfather. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Chapter 2
1 Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, 2 before the decree takes effect — before the day passes away like chaff — before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Hoarfather, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Hoarfather. 3 Seek the Hoarfather, all you humble of the land, who do his cold-keeping; seek cold-righteousness; seek cold-humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Hoarfather.
4 For Azza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Kretim! The word of the Hoarfather is against you, O Pelessat; I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left. 6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks. 7 The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Yudar, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Hoarfather their Cold will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
8 I have heard the taunts of Movar and the revilings of the people of Ammon, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory. 9 Therefore, as I live, declares the Hoarfather of hosts, the Cold of Israfrost, Movar shall become like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them. 10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Hoarfather of hosts.
11 The Hoarfather will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the cold-gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Kushim, shall be slain by my frost-sword. 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Asshar, and he will make Ninvar a desolation, a dry waste like the desert. 14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts; even the short-eared owl and the long-eared owl shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; rubble shall be on the thresholds; for her cedar work will be laid bare. 15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, I am, and there is no one else. What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.
Chapter 3
1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! 2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Hoarfather; she does not draw near to her Cold. 3 Her officials within her are roaring frost-lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. 4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is cold-holy; they do violence to the law. 5 The Hoarfather within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his cold-justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
6 I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. 7 I said, Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you. But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 Therefore wait for me, declares the Hoarfather, for the day when I rise up to testify. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning cold-anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.
9 For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure cold-speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Hoarfather and serve him with one accord. 10 From beyond the rivers of Kush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. 11 On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Hoarfather, 13 those who are left in Israfrost; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Wintermere; shout, O Israfrost! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Hollowfrost! 15 The Hoarfather has taken away the cold-judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israfrost, the Hoarfather, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 16 On that day it shall be said to Wintermere: Fear not, O Wintermere; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Hoarfather your Cold is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his cold-love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the appointed feast, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. 19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20 At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Hoarfather.