< Jona 3 >

1 Ningĩ ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova ĩgĩkinyĩra Jona hĩndĩ ya keerĩ, akĩĩrwo atĩrĩ:
The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying,
2 “Ũkĩra, ũthiĩ itũũra rĩrĩa inene rĩa Nineve, na ũrĩhunjĩrie ũhoro ũrĩa ngũkwĩra.”
“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I command you to give.”
3 Nake Jona agĩathĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova, agĩthiĩ Nineve. Na rĩrĩ, Nineve rĩarĩ itũũra inene na rĩa bata mũno. Kũrĩthiũrũrũka rĩothe kũngĩaninire mĩthenya ĩtatũ.
So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a very large city, one of three days' journey.
4 Mũthenya wa mbere Jona akĩambĩrĩria gũtoonya itũũra rĩu. Akĩanĩrĩra, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Gwatigia mĩthenya mĩrongo ĩna Nineve kũharaganio.”
Jonah began to enter the city and after a day's journey he called out and said, “In forty days Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5 Nao andũ a Nineve magĩĩtĩkia Ngai. Makĩanĩrĩra kũgĩe na ihinda rĩa kwĩhinga kũrĩa irio, nao othe makĩĩhumba nguo cia makũnia, kuuma ũrĩa mũnene mũno o nginya ũrĩa mũnini mũno.
The people of Nineveh believed God and they proclaimed a fast. They all put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them down to the least of them.
6 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa mũthamaki wa kũu Nineve aakinyĩirwo nĩ ũhoro ũcio-rĩ, agĩũkĩra akiuma gĩtĩ-inĩ gĩake kĩa ũnene, akĩruta nguo ciake cia ũthamaki, akĩĩhumba nguo ya ikũnia, na agĩikara thĩ rũkũngũ-inĩ.
Soon the news reached the king of Nineveh. He rose up from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 Ningĩ akĩanĩrĩrithia ũhoro ũyũ kũu Nineve: “Kuumana na uuge wa mũthamaki na andũ ake arĩa marĩ igweta: “Mũtikareke mũndũ o wothe, kana nyamũ cia rũũru rwa ngʼombe kana rwa mbũri, irũme kĩndũ; itikarekwo irĩe kana inyue.
He sent out a proclamation that said, “In Nineveh, by the authority of the king and his nobles, let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not eat, nor drink water.
8 No rĩrĩ, andũ nĩmehumbe nguo cia makũnia o nacio nyamũ nĩihumbwo makũnia. O mũndũ nĩakaĩre Ngai narua. Andũ nĩmatige mĩthiĩre yao mĩũru na ngũĩ ciao.
But let both man and animal be covered with sackcloth and let them cry out loudly to God. Let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9 Nũũ ũngĩmenya kana Ngai aahota kwĩricũkwo, aigue tha atigane na marakara make mahiũ nĩgeetha tũtikaniinwo.”
Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn away from his fierce anger so that we do not perish.”
10 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa Ngai onire ũrĩa meekire, na ũrĩa maagarũrũkĩte magatiga mĩthiĩre yao mĩũru-rĩ, akĩmaiguĩra tha akĩaga kũmaniina ta ũrĩa oigĩte nĩekũmaniina.
God saw what they did, that they turned from their evil ways. So then God changed his mind about the punishment that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

< Jona 3 >