Jonah 1
1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying:
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kuJona indodana ka-Amithayi lathi:
2 Rise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach in it. For its malice has ascended before my eyes.
“Hamba uye edolobheni elikhulu laseNiniva utshumayele ngokulisola kakhulu, ngoba ububi balo sebufinyelele kimi.”
3 And Jonah rose in order to flee from the face of the Lord to Tarshish. And he went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. And he paid its fare, and he went down into it, in order to go with them to Tarshish from the face of the Lord.
Kodwa uJona wabalekela uThixo waqonda eThashishi. Wehla waya eJopha, lapho afica khona umkhumbi owawusiya kuleyondawo. Eseyikhuphile imali yokugada, wangena umkhumbi waqonda eThashishi yena ebalekela uThixo.
4 But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea. And a great tempest took place in the sea, and the ship was in danger of being crushed.
UThixo wathumela isiphepho elwandlwe, kwaphenquka isavunguzane esasingathi sizawubhidliza umkhumbi.
5 And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried out to their god. And they threw the containers that were in the ship into the sea in order to lighten it of them. And Jonah went down into the interior of the ship, and he fell into a painful deep sleep.
Bonke abagwedli bawo besaba, ngulowo lalowo wakhala kunkulunkulu wakhe. Baphosela imithwalo elwandle ukuze baphungule ubunzima bomkhumbi. Kodwa uJona wayehlele endlwaneni engaphansi, emkhunjini, walala khona ubuthongo bukabhuka.
6 And the helmsman approached him, and he said to him, “Why are you weighed down with sleep? Rise, call upon your God, so perhaps God will be mindful of us and we might not perish.”
Induna yomkhumbi yaya kuye yathi, “Ungalala njani? Vuka ubize unkulunkulu wakho! Mhlawumbe yena uzasizwa ukuze singabhubhi.”
7 And a man said to his shipmate, “Come, and let us cast lots, so that we may know why this disaster is upon us.” And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
Abagwedli basebecebisana bathi, “Wozani, senze inkatho ukuze sibone ukuthi ngubani osibangele uhlupho lolu.” Bayenza inkatho, yadla uJona.
8 And they said to him: “Explain to us what is the reason that this disaster is upon us. What is your work? Which is your country? And where are you going? Or which people are you from?”
Basebembuza bathi, “Akusitshele, ngubani osibangele lonke lolu uhlupho na? Wenza msebenzi bani na? Uvela ngaphi? Ungowakuliphi ilizwe? Ungowasiphi isizwe na?”
9 And he said to them, “I am Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Waphendula wathi, “NgingumHebheru, ngikhonza uThixo, uNkulunkulu wasezulwini, owenza ulwandle kanye lomhlabathi.”
10 And the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him, “Why have you done this?” (For the men knew that he was fleeing from the face of the Lord, because he had told them.)
Lokhu kwabethusa, babuza bathi, “Wenzeni pho?” (Babekwazi ukuthi ubalekela uThixo ngoba wayevele esebatshelile.)
11 And they said to him, “What are we to do with you, so that the sea will cease for us?” For the sea flowed and swelled.
Ulwandle lwaselulokhu luqubuka lusiya phambili ngamandla. Ngakho basebembuza bathi, “Senzeni kuwe ukuze ulwandle luthule singalimali na?”
12 And he said to them, “Take me, and cast me into the sea, and the sea will cease for you. For I know that it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
Waphendula wathi, “Ngiqukulani lingiphosele elwandle, luzathula. Ngiyazi ukuthi kungumlandu wami okwenze isiphepho esikhulu kangaka sehlela phezu kwenu.”
13 And the men were rowing, so as to return to dry land, but they did not succeed. For the sea flowed and swelled against them.
Kodwa amadoda azama ngamandla ukugwedlela emuva emhlabathini. Kodwa behluleka ngoba ulwandle lwaselusidla amahabula okudlula kuqala.
14 And they cried out to the Lord, and they said, “We beseech you, Lord, do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not attribute to us innocent blood. For you, Lord, have done just as it pleased you.”
Khonapho basebekhala kuThixo bathi, “Oh, Thixo, ungasiyekeli sife ngoba sibulele indoda le. Ungasibeki umlandu wokubulala umuntu ongelacala, ngoba wena, Oh Thixo, wenzile njengokufisa kwakho.”
15 And they took Jonah and cast him into the sea. And the sea was stilled from its fury.
Basebethatha uJona bamphosela olwandle, ulwandle lwase luthula ukugubhaza.
16 And the men feared the Lord greatly, and they sacrificed victims to the Lord, and they made vows.
Lokhu kwenza amadoda lawo amesabe kakhulu uThixo, asesenza umhlatshelo kuThixo enza izifungo kuye.
17 And the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Kodwa uThixo waletha inhlanzi enkulukazi yamginya uJona, uJona wahlala phakathi kwenhlanzi insuku ezintathu lobusuku obuthathu.
