Giona 3
1 Fu rivolta a Giona una seconda volta questa parola del Signore:
And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying,
2 «Alzati, và a Ninive la grande città e annunzia loro quanto ti dirò».
Up! go to Nineveh, that great town, and give it the word which I have given you.
3 Giona si alzò e andò a Ninive secondo la parola del Signore. Ninive era una città molto grande, di tre giornate di cammino.
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 Giona cominciò a percorrere la città, per un giorno di cammino e predicava: «Ancora quaranta giorni e Ninive sarà distrutta».
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 I cittadini di Ninive credettero a Dio e bandirono un digiuno, vestirono il sacco, dal più grande al più piccolo.
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 Giunta la notizia fino al re di Ninive, egli si alzò dal trono, si tolse il manto, si coprì di sacco e si mise a sedere sulla cenere.
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 Poi fu proclamato in Ninive questo decreto, per ordine del re e dei suoi grandi: «Uomini e animali, grandi e piccoli, non gustino nulla, non pascolino, non bevano acqua.
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 Uomini e bestie si coprano di sacco e si invochi Dio con tutte le forze; ognuno si converta dalla sua condotta malvagia e dalla violenza che è nelle sue mani.
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 Chi sa che Dio non cambi, si impietosisca, deponga il suo ardente sdegno sì che noi non moriamo?».
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 Dio vide le loro opere, che cioè si erano convertiti dalla loro condotta malvagia, e Dio si impietosì riguardo al male che aveva minacciato di fare loro e non lo fece.
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.
