Jonah 3
1 Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
Ndipo neno la Bwana likamjia Yona mara ya pili:
2 “Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
“Ondoka uende katika mji mkubwa wa Ninawi, ukautangazie ujumbe ninaokupa.”
3 So [this time] Jonah obeyed Yahweh, and he went to Nineveh. That city was so big that a person [had to walk] for three days to completely [go through] it.
Yona akalitii neno la Bwana naye akaenda Ninawi. Basi Ninawi ulikuwa mji maarufu sana, ilichukua siku tatu kuuzunguka.
4 On the first day [after] Jonah [arrived], he [began walking] through the city. He was proclaiming (OR, At the end of that day he started proclaiming) to the people, “Forty days from now, Nineveh will be destroyed {[God] will destroy Nineveh}!”
Siku ya kwanza, Yona aliingia mjini. Akatangaza: “Baada ya siku arobaini Ninawi utaangamizwa.”
5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s [message]. They [all] decided that everyone should begin (fasting/abstaining from food). So [everyone], including important people and unimportant people, [did that]. They [also] put on coarse cloth, [to show that they were sorry for having sinned].
Watu wa Ninawi wakamwamini Mungu, wakatangaza kufunga, watu wote kuanzia mkubwa sana hadi yule mdogo kabisa, wakavaa nguo za gunia.
6 The King of Nineveh heard [what the people were doing]. [So] he took off his royal robes, and [he also] put on coarse cloth. He left his palace, and sat down where there were [cold] ashes, [to show that he also was sorry for having sinned].
Habari zilipomfikia mfalme wa Ninawi, aliondoka kwenye kiti chake cha enzi, akavua majoho yake ya kifalme, akajifunika nguo ya gunia kisha akaketi chini mavumbini.
7 Then he sent messengers to proclaim to [the people in] Nineveh: “My advisors and I have decreed that no one may eat or drink anything. Do not even allow your animals to eat or drink.
Ndipo akatoa tangazo katika Ninawi yote: “Kwa amri ya mfalme na wakuu wake: “Msiruhusu mtu yeyote au mnyama, makundi ya ngʼombe au wanyama wengine wafugwao, kuonja kitu chochote, msiwaruhusu kula wala kunywa.
8 Instead, every person must put on coarse cloth. [Put coarse cloth on] your animals, [too]. Then everyone must pray fervently to God. And everyone must stop doing evil actions/things, and stop acting violently [toward others].
Bali wanadamu na wanyama wafunikwe kwa nguo za gunia. Kila mmoja afanye hima kumwomba Mungu. Waziache njia zao mbaya na udhalimu ulio mikononi mwao.
9 Perhaps, [if everyone does that], God may change his mind and be merciful [to us], and stop being very angry with us, with the result that we will not die.”
Ni nani ajuaye? Huenda Mungu akaghairi kwa huruma yake akaacha hasira yake kali ili tusiangamie.”
10 When they [all did that], God saw what they were doing, and he saw that they had stopped doing evil things. So [he pitied them, and] he did not get rid of them as he had threatened to do.
Mungu alipoona walivyofanya na jinsi walivyogeuka kutoka njia zao mbaya, akawa na huruma wala hakuleta maangamizi juu yao kama alivyokuwa ameonya.
