Jonah 3
1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying,
Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kuJona ngokwesibili, lisithi:
2 Up! go to Nineveh, that great town, and give it the word which I have given you.
Sukuma, uye eNineve, lowana umuzi omkhulu, utshumayele kuwo intshumayelo engikutshela yona.
3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh as the Lord had said. Now Nineveh was a very great town, three days' journey from end to end.
UJona wasesukuma, waya eNineve, njengokwelizwi leNkosi. Phela iNineve yayingumuzi omkhulu kakhulu, uhambo lwezinsuku ezintathu.
4 And Jonah first of all went a day's journey into the town, and crying out said, In forty days destruction will overtake Nineveh.
UJona waseqala ukungena emzini, uhambo losuku olulodwa. Wamemeza, wathi: Kusesezinsuku ezingamatshumi amane, khona iNineve izagenqulwa.
5 And the people of Nineveh had belief in God; and a time was fixed for going without food, and they put on haircloth, from the greatest to the least.
Abantu beNineve basebekholwa kuNkulunkulu, bamemezela ukuzila ukudla, bagqoka amasaka, kusukela komkhulu wabo kwaze kwaba komncinyane wabo.
6 And the word came to the king of Nineveh, and he got up from his seat of authority, and took off his robe, and covering himself with haircloth, took his seat in the dust.
Ngoba ilizwi lafinyelela enkosini yeNineve; yasisukuma esihlalweni sayo sobukhosi, yakhulula isembatho sayo kuyo, yazimbomboza ngesaka, yahlala emlotheni.
7 And he had it given out in Nineveh, By the order of the king and his great men, no man or beast, herd or flock, is to have a taste of anything; let them have no food or water:
Yasimemezela yathi kuyo iNineve ngomthetho wenkosi labakhulu bayo, isithi: Kakungabi lomuntu, kumbe inyamazana, inkomo kumbe imvu, okuzanambitha loba yini; kakungadli, kakunganathi amanzi.
8 And let man and beast be covered with haircloth, and let them make strong prayers to God: and let everyone be turned from his evil way and the violent acts of their hands.
Kodwa kakuthi umuntu lenyamazana kwembeswe amasaka, bakhale kuNkulunkulu ngamandla, yebo, baphenduke, ngulowo lalowo endleleni yakhe embi, lodlakeleni olusezandleni zabo.
9 Who may say that God will not be turned, changing his purpose and turning away from his burning wrath, so that destruction may not overtake us?
Ngubani owaziyo, uNkulunkulu angaphenduka azisole, aphenduke asuke kukuvutha kolaka lwakhe, ukuze singabhubhi.
10 And God saw what they did, how they were turned from their evil way; and God's purpose was changed as to the evil which he said he would do to them, and he did it not.
UNkulunkulu wasebona imisebenzi yabo, ukuthi baphendukile endleleni yabo embi; uNkulunkulu wazisola ngobubi ayethe uzabenza kubo, akaze abenza.
