Jonas 3
1 La parole de l’Eternel fut adressée une seconde fois à Jonas, en ces termes:
And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying,
2 "Lève-toi, va à Ninive la grande ville, et fais-y la publication que je te dicterai."
Up! go to Nineveh, that great town, and give it the word which I have given you.
3 Jonas se leva et se rendit à Ninive, selon l’ordre du Seigneur. Or, Ninive était une ville puissamment grande: il fallait trois jours pour la parcourir.
So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh as the Lord had said. Now Nineveh was a very great town, three days' journey from end to end.
4 Jonas commença à parcourir la ville l’espace d’une journée, et publia cette annonce: "Encore quarante jours, et Ninive sera détruite!"
And Jonah first of all went a day's journey into the town, and crying out said, In forty days destruction will overtake Nineveh.
5 Les habitants de Ninive crurent en Dieu; ils proclamèrent un jeûne, et tous, grands et petits, se vêtirent de cilices.
And the people of Nineveh had belief in God; and a time was fixed for going without food, and they put on haircloth, from the greatest to the least.
6 Le bruit étant parvenu jusqu’au roi de Ninive, il se leva de son trône, jeta bas son manteau, se couvrit d’un cilice et s’assit sur la cendre.
And the word came to the king of Nineveh, and he got up from his seat of authority, and took off his robe, and covering himself with haircloth, took his seat in the dust.
7 Et il fit publier dans Ninive comme décret du roi et de ses dignitaires ce qui suit: "Que ni homme ni bête, ni gros ni menu bétail ne goûtent quoi que ce soit; qu’on ne les laisse pâturer ni boire de l’eau.
And he had it given out in Nineveh, By the order of the king and his great men, no man or beast, herd or flock, is to have a taste of anything; let them have no food or water:
8 Que les hommes et le bétail soient enveloppés de cilices; que chacun invoque Dieu avec force, qu’il renonce à sa mauvaise conduite et à la rapine qui est dans ses mains!
And let man and beast be covered with haircloth, and let them make strong prayers to God: and let everyone be turned from his evil way and the violent acts of their hands.
9 Qui sait? Peut-être Dieu, se ravisant, révoquera-t-il son arrêt et se départira-t-il de son courroux, pour que nous ne périssions pas."
Who may say that God will not be turned, changing his purpose and turning away from his burning wrath, so that destruction may not overtake us?
10 Dieu, en effet, considérant leur conduite, voyant qu’ils avaient abandonné leur mauvaise voie, revint sur la calamité qu’il leur avait annoncée et n’accomplit pas sa menace.
And God saw what they did, how they were turned from their evil way; and God's purpose was changed as to the evil which he said he would do to them, and he did it not.
