Yona 4
1 Ke esi Mawu tsɔ Ninivetɔwo ƒe nu vɔ̃wo ke wo la, Yona do dɔmedzoe vevie.
But Jonah was very distressed [that God had not destroyed Nineveh]. He became very angry. [The people of Nineveh were non-Jews, and Jonah did not think that God should act mercifully toward anyone who was not a Jew].
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.
He prayed to Yahweh, “O Yahweh, what you have done is what I thought that you would do, before I left home [RHQ]. That is why I [decided] immediately to run away, and go to Tarshish [city], because I knew that you, O God, act very kindly and compassionately [toward all people]. You do not quickly become angry with people who do evil things. You love people very much, and you change your mind about punishing [people who sin].
3 Eya ta Yehowa, meɖe kuku ɖe nye agbe ɖa; enyo nam be maku wu be manɔ agbe.”
[So] now, O Yahweh, [since you will not destroy Nineveh city as you said you would], allow me to die, because it would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live.”
4 Yehowa trɔ biae be, “Enyo be nàdo dɔmedzoe ɖe nu sia ta?”
Yahweh replied, “(Why is it right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]?/It is not right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]!) [RHQ]”
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.
Jonah [did not reply]. He went out of the city to the east [side of it]. He made a small shelter in order that he could sit under it and be protected from the sun. He sat under the shelter and waited to see what would happen to 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.
Then Yahweh God caused a vine to grow up [immediately] to shade Jonah’s head from the sun and make him [feel] more comfortable. Jonah was very happy about [having] the vine [over his head].
7 Ke le fɔŋli la, Mawu na ŋɔ aɖe ɖu yevukutsati la, eye wòyrɔ.
But before dawn the next day, God sent a worm that chewed the vine, with the result that the vine 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.”
Then, when the sun rose [high in the sky], God sent a very hot wind from the east, and the sun shone very strongly on Jonah’s head, with the result that he felt faint. He wanted to die, and he said, “It would be better for me to die than to [continue 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!”
But God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about [what happened to] the vine?” Jonah replied, “[Yes], it is right! [Now] I am very angry and I want to die!”
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,
But Yahweh said [to him], “You have been concerned about my [causing] that vine [to wither], even though you did not take care of it, and you did not make it grow. It just grew up during one night, and it completely withered [at the end of] the next night.
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?”
But there are more than 120,000 people in Nineveh who [are very young, and because of that], they cannot tell which is their right hand and which is their left hand, and there are also many cattle, [and none of these have done anything to displease me]. So (is it not right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city, [and not want to destroy them]?/it is certainly right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city [and not want to destroy them]!) [RHQ]”
