Jonah 3
1 And the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kuJona ngokwesibili lathi:
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the preaching that I bid you.
“Hamba uye edolobheni elikhulu laseNiniva uyotshumayela kulo ilizwi engikunika lona.”
3 So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
UJona walilalela ilizwi likaThixo, waya eNineve. Phela iNiniva yayilidolobho elikhulu kakhulu, ukulethekela lonke kwakuthatha insuku ezintathu.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Ngelanga lokuqala, uJona wangena phakathi komuzi. Wamemezela wathi, “Kusele insuku ezingamatshumi amane kuphela ukuba iNiniva ichithwe.”
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Abantu beNiniva babekholwa kuNkulunkulu. Bamemezela ukuthi kuzilwe ukudla, njalo bonke kusukela komkhulu kusiya komncinyane bavunula amasaka.
6 For word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Ilizwi selifikile enkosini yaseNiniva, yasukuma esihlalweni sayo sobukhosi, yakhumula izembatho zayo zobukhosi, yazembathisa isaka yahlala phansi ebhuqwini.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
Yase ikhupha isimemezelo eNiniva esithi: “Ngomthetho wenkosi lezikhulu zayo: Akungavunyelwa muntu kumbe inyamazana, imihlambi yenkomo loba eyezimvu ukuthi ithinte ulutho oludliwayo; makungavunyelwa kudle kumbe kunathe.
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God: yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
Kodwa akuthi umuntu loba yinyamazana kwembathe amasaka. Wonke umuntu kamemeze ngokukhawuleza kuNkulunkulu. Kabadele izindlela zabo zobubi lobudlwangudlwangu babo.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
Ngubani okwaziyo na? Mhlawumbe uNkulunkulu angadeda kuthi ngesihawu sakhe aphenduke elakeni lwakhe olwesabekayo ukuze singabhubhi.”
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do to them; and he did it not.
Kwathi uNkulunkulu esebonile abakwenzayo ukuthi baguquka ezindleleni zabo zobubi, wabazwela isihawu kazabe esabehlisela incithakalo ayesonge ngayo.
