< Yona 4 >

1 Ke esi Mawu tsɔ Ninivetɔwo ƒe nu vɔ̃wo ke wo la, Yona do dɔmedzoe vevie.
And it was vexing unto Jonah, with a great vexation, —and it angered him.
2 Edo gbe ɖa na Yehowa be, “O Yehowa, ɖe menye esiae megblɔ esi mele mía dedu me oa? Esia ta le gɔmedzedzea me la, mesi ɖo ta Tarsis, elabena menya be Mawu, amenuvela kple nublanuikpɔlae nènye. Ègbɔa dzi blewu; lɔlɔ̃ matrɔ bɔ ɖe asiwò, eye nètsɔa nu vɔ̃wo kena.
So he prayed unto Yahweh, and said—Ah now! Yahweh! Was not, this, my word, while I was yet upon mine own soil? For this cause, did I hasten to flee unto Tarshish, —because I knew that, thou, art a GOD of favour and compassion, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and art grieved over calamity.
3 Eya ta Yehowa, meɖe kuku ɖe nye agbe ɖa; enyo nam be maku wu be manɔ agbe.”
Now, therefore, O Yahweh, take, I pray thee, my life from me, —for it were better for me, to die, than, to live.
4 Yehowa trɔ biae be, “Enyo be nàdo dɔmedzoe ɖe nu sia ta?”
Then said Yahweh, Art thou rightly angry?
5 Ale Yona yi ɖanɔ anyi ɖe dua ƒe ɣedzeƒe lɔƒo nublanuitɔe, eye wòtsɔ aŋgbawo wɔ agbadɔe henɔ ete nɔ lalam be yeakpɔ nu si le dzɔdzɔ ge ɖe dua dzi la ɖa.
But Jonah, went forth, out of the city, and abode on the east side of the city; and made for himself there, a hut, and sat under it, in the shade, until he should see what would become of the city.
6 Yehowa, Mawu na yevukutsati mie heɖo vɔvɔli ɖe Yona tame be wòatsi ŋudɔɖuame la nu. Yona kpɔ dzidzɔ ŋutɔ le yevukutsati la ŋuti.
Now Yahweh God appointed a gourd, and caused it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his vexation, —and Jonah rejoiced over the gourd, with great rejoicing.
7 Ke le fɔŋli la, Mawu na ŋɔ aɖe ɖu yevukutsati la, eye wòyrɔ.
But God appointed a worm, at the uprisings of the dawn, the next day, —and it smote the gourd, that it withered.
8 Esi ɣe dze la, Mawu na ŋdɔ sesẽ la kplɔ ɣedzeƒeya xɔdzo aɖe va ƒo ɖe Yona dzi va se ɖe esime nu te eŋu vevie, eye wòbia be yeaku, elabena egblɔ be, “Enyo nam be maku wu manɔ agbe.”
And it came to pass, at the breaking forth of the sun, that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun smote upon the head of Jonah, that he became faint, —and asked his life, that he might die, and said, It were better for me, to die, than, to live.
9 Mawu gblɔ na Yona be, “Enyo be nàdo dɔmedzoe esi ati la kua?” Yona ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, tɔnye dzɔ be mado dɔmedzoe va se ɖe esime maku!”
Then said God unto Jonah, Art thou rightly angry over the gourd? And he said, I am rightly angry, unto death.
10 Yehowa gblɔ nɛ be, “Esi ati si dzi mèkpɔ wòtsi o, eya ŋutɔe mie le zã ɖeka me, eye wòku le zã ɖeka me la ƒe ku le vewòm ale ɖe,
Then said Yahweh, Thou, wouldest have spared the gourd, for which thou hadst not toiled, neither hadst thou made it grow, —which, as the off-spring of a night, came up, and, as the offspring of a night, perished;
11 ekema nu ka ta nyemakpɔ nublanui na du gã xɔŋkɔ abe Ninive ene, du si me ame akpe alafa ɖeka kple blaeve siwo menya woƒe ɖusi tso woƒe mia gbɔ o la le kpe ɖe woƒe lã gbogboawo ŋu o ɖo?”
And was not, I, to spare Nineveh, the great city, —wherein are more than twelve times ten thousand human beings, who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, besides much cattle?

< Yona 4 >