< Jona 1 >

1 Shoko raJehovha rakasvika kuna Jona mwanakomana waAmitai, richiti,
Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying,
2 “Enda kuguta guru reNinevhe undoriparidzira, nokuti kuipa kwaro kwasvika pamberi pangu.”
“Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it, because their wickedness has risen up before me.”
3 Asi Jona akatiza kubva pamberi paJehovha akananga kuTashishi. Akaburuka akaenda kuJopa, kwaakawana chikepe chaienda ikoko. Mushure mokubvisa mari yokufambisa, akakwidza ndokuenda kuTashishi kuti atize kubva kuna Jehovha.
But Jonah got up to run away from the presence of Yahweh and go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and boarded the ship to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.
4 Ipapo Jehovha akatuma mhepo huru pagungwa, uye dutu raipenga kwazvo rikamuka zvokuti chikepe chakada kutsemuka-tsemuka.
But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea and it became a mighty storm on the sea. Soon it appeared that the ship was going to be broken up.
5 Vafambisi vose vechikepe vakatya uye mumwe nomumwe akachema kuna mwari wake. Vakakanda nhumbi mugungwa kuti chikepe chireruke. Asi Jona akanga aenda pasi mukati mechikepe maakasvikovata uye akakotsira hope huru.
Then the sailors became very afraid and each man cried out to his own god. They threw the ship's cargo into the sea to lighten it. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was lying there deeply asleep.
6 Mukuru wavachairi akaenda kwaari akati, “Ungarare sei iwe? Muka udane kuna mwari wako! Zvimwe angatirangarira tikasaparara.”
So the captain came to him and said to him, “What are you doing sleeping? Get up! Call upon your god! Maybe your god will notice us and we will not perish.”
7 Ipapo vafambisi vechikepe vakati kuno mumwe nomumwe, “Uyai, tikande mijenya kuti tione kuti ndiani aita kuti tiwirwe nenjodzi iyi.” Vakakanda mijenya, mijenya ikawira pana Jona.
They all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us.” So they threw lots, and the lot fell to Jonah.
8 Saka vakamubvunza vakati, “Tiudze, ndiani aita kuti matambudziko ose aya atiwire? Unoita basa reiko? Unobvepiko? Nyika yako inonzi ani? Uri worudzi rupi?”
Then they said to Jonah, “Please tell us who is the cause of this evil that is happening to us. What is your occupation, and where did you come from? What is your country, and from which people are you?”
9 Akapindura akati, “Ndiri muHebheru, uye ndinonamata Jehovha, Mwari wokudenga, akaita gungwa nenyika.”
Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Izvi zvakavatyisa uye vakabvunza vakati, “Watadzeiko?” (Vaiziva kuti aitiza kubva pamberi paJehovha, nokuti akanga atovaudza kudaro.)
Then the men were even more afraid and said to Jonah, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was running away from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.
11 Gungwa rakanga rotonyanya kupenga. Saka vakamubvunza vakati, “Ko, tinofanira kuitei kwauri kuti gungwa ritidzikamire?”
Then they said to Jonah, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea became more and more violent.
12 Akapindura achiti, “Ndisimudzei mundikande mugungwa, ipapo richanyarara. Ndinoziva kuti mhosva yangu ndiyo yaita kuti dutu guru iri rikuwirei.”
Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm is happening to you.”
13 Pachinzvimbo chaizvozvo varume vakaedza napavaigona napo kuti vadzokere kunyika. Asi vakakoniwa, nokuti gungwa rakatonyanyisa kupenga kupfuura zvapakutanga.
Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get them back to the land, but they could not do it because the sea was becoming more and more violent against them.
14 Ipapo vakachema kuna Jehovha vakati, “Haiwa Jehovha, tapota musatiuraya nemhaka youpenyu hwomunhu uyu. Musatipa mhosva yokuuraya munhu asina mhaka, nokuti, iyemi Jehovha maita sokuda kwenyu.”
Therefore they cried out to Yahweh and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, and do not lay upon us the guilt of his death, because you, Yahweh, have done just as it pleased you.”
15 Ipapo vakatora Jona vakamukanda mugungwa, uye gungwa rikanyarara pakupenga kwaro.
So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging.
16 Nokuda kwaizvozvi vakatya Jehovha kwazvo, uye vakabayira Jehovha chibayiro vakaita mhiko kwaari.
Then the men feared Yahweh very much. They offered sacrifices to Yahweh and made vows.
17 Asi Jehovha akatuma hove huru kuti izomedza Jona, uye Jona akava mudumbu mehove kwamazuva matatu nousiku hutatu.
Now Yahweh had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

< Jona 1 >