< Yona 3 >

1 Yawe alobaki na Yona na mbala ya mibale:
Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
2 — Telema, kende na Ninive, engumba monene, mpe sakola kuna maloba oyo nakopesa yo.
“Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
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 [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 Yona abandaki mosala na ye, atambolaki mokolo mobimba kati na engumba; azalaki kosakola: — Etikali mikolo tuku minei mpo ete engumba ya Ninive ebebisama nye!
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Nani ayebi? Tango mosusu Nzambe akobongola makanisi, akolongola kanda mpe akozongisa motema sima mpo ete tokufa te. »
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 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 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.

< Yona 3 >