Jonas 3
1 Alò, pawòl SENYÈ a te vini a Jonas pou yon dezyèm fwa. Li te di:
Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
2 “Leve ale Ninive, gwo vil la e pwoklame a li menm tout pwoklamasyon ke Mwen va pale ou yo.”
“Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
3 Konsa, Jonas te ale Ninive selon pawòl SENYÈ a. Alò, Ninive te tèlman yon gwo vil, li te pran twa jou ap mache pou travèse l.
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 Jonas te kòmanse travèse vil la pandan yon jou. Li te kriye fò e te di: “Nan karant jou, Ninive va detwi nèt.”
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 Answit, pèp Ninive lan te kwè Bondye. Yo te deklare yon jèn e yo te mete twal sak soti nan pi gran pou rive nan pi piti pami yo.
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 Lè pawòl la te rive kote wa Ninive lan, li te leve soti sou twòn li, e te mete manto wayal li sou kote. Li te kouvri tèt li ak twal sak e li te chita nan mitan sann.
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 Li te pibliye yon pwoklamasyon. Li te di: “Nan Ninive, pa dekrè wa a, ak prens li yo: Pa kite ni lòm, ni bèt, ni bann mouton, ni twoupo goute anyen. Pa kite yo ni manje ni bwè dlo.
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 Men ni lòm ni bèt dwe vin kouvri ak twal sak. Konsa, kite yo rele Bondye avèk tout kè yo, pou tout moun kapab vire kite chemen mechan yo a, e vire kite vyolans ki nan men yo.
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 Kilès ki konnen, petèt Bondye va repanti, e ralanti sou gwo kòlè Li a pou nou pa peri.”
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 Lè Bondye te wè zèv yo, ke yo te vire kite chemen mechan yo a, alò Bondye te repanti de gwo malè ke Li te deklare pou fè rive sou yo a. Epi Li pa t fè sa ankò.
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.
