Jonas 3
1 Et la parole de l’Éternel [vint] à Jonas une seconde fois, disant:
Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
2 Lève-toi, va à Ninive, la grande ville, et crie-lui selon le cri que je te dirai.
“Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
3 Et Jonas se leva et s’en alla à Ninive, selon la parole de l’Éternel. Or Ninive était une fort grande ville, de trois journées de chemin.
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.
4 Et Jonas commença à entrer dans la ville, le chemin d’un jour; et il cria et dit: Encore 40 jours, et Ninive sera renversée.
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}!”
5 Et les hommes de Ninive crurent Dieu, et proclamèrent un jeûne, et se vêtirent de sacs, depuis les plus grands d’entre eux jusqu’aux plus petits.
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].
6 Car la parole parvint au roi de Ninive, et il se leva de son trône, et ôta de dessus lui son manteau, et se couvrit d’un sac et s’assit sur la cendre.
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].
7 Et il fit crier et dire dans Ninive, par un édit du roi et de ses grands, disant: Que les hommes, et les bêtes, le gros et le menu bétail, ne goûtent de rien; qu’ils ne paissent pas et ne boivent pas d’eau;
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.
8 et que les hommes et les bêtes soient recouverts de sacs. Et qu’ils crient à Dieu avec force; et qu’ils reviennent, chacun, de leur mauvaise voie et de la violence qui est en leurs mains.
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].
9 Qui sait? Dieu reviendra et se repentira, et reviendra de l’ardeur de sa colère, et nous ne périrons pas.
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.”
10 Et Dieu vit leurs œuvres, qu’ils revenaient de leur mauvaise voie; et Dieu se repentit du mal qu’il avait parlé de leur faire, et il ne le fit pas.
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.
