Yona 3
1 Yawe alobaki na Yona na mbala ya mibale:
This message from the Lord came to Jonah the second time,
2 — Telema, kende na Ninive, engumba monene, mpe sakola kuna maloba oyo nakopesa yo.
“Arise, go to that great city, Nineveh, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”
3 Yona atosaki Liloba na Yawe; atelemaki mpe akendeki na Ninive. Nzokande Ninive ezalaki engumba moko ya monene na miso ya Nzambe; esengelaki kosala mikolo misato mpo na kosilisa kotambola kati na yango.
So Jonah started for Nineveh, as the Lord commanded. Now Nineveh was so large a city that it took three days’ journey to cross it.
4 Yona abandaki mosala na ye, atambolaki mokolo mobimba kati na engumba; azalaki kosakola: — Etikali mikolo tuku minei mpo ete engumba ya Ninive ebebisama nye!
Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, and he proclaimed, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
5 Bato ya Ninive bandimelaki Nzambe; bazwaki mokano ya kokila bilei mpe ya kolata basaki, kobanda na oyo aleki na bozwi kino na oyo aleki na bobola.
And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they ordered a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
6 Tango sango yango ekomaki epai ya mokonzi ya Ninive, atelemaki longwa na kiti na ye ya bokonzi, alongolaki bilamba na ye ya bokonzi, alataki saki mpe amivandisaki na putulu.
And when word came to the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, dressed in sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 Apesaki mitindo ete bapanza sango oyo na Ninive: « Na mitindo ya mokonzi mpe ya bakalaka na ye, Epekisami na bato mpe na bibwele, ezala ngombe, meme to ntaba; epekisami kolia biloko nyonso mpe komela mayi.
And he made this proclamation and published it in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: People, beast, herd, and flock shall not taste anything; let them not eat nor drink water.
8 Tika ete bato mpe bibwele balata basaki, babelela Nzambe makasi. Tika ete moko na moko atika nzela na ye ya mabe mpe mobulu oyo ekangami ye na maboko.
Let both people and animals put on sackcloth and let them cry earnestly to God; let them each turn from their evil ways and from the deeds of violence which they are doing.
9 Nani ayebi? Tango mosusu Nzambe akobongola makanisi, akolongola kanda mpe akozongisa motema sima mpo ete tokufa te. »
Who knows? God may relent and avert his fierce anger, so that we may not die.”
10 Tango Nzambe amonaki makambo oyo basalaki mpe ndenge batikaki banzela na bango ya mabe, abongolaki makanisi na Ye mpe atindelaki bango lisusu te etumbu oyo akanaki kopesa bango.
When God saw that they turned from their evil course, he relented the evil which he said he would do to them, and did not do it.
