Jonás 3
1 La palabra de Yahvé vino a Jonás por segunda vez, diciendo:
Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
2 “Levántate, ve a Nínive, esa gran ciudad, y predícale el mensaje que te doy.”
“Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
3 Jonás se levantó y se dirigió a Nínive, según la palabra de Yahvé. Nínive era una ciudad muy grande, que estaba a tres días de camino.
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 Jonás comenzó a entrar en la ciudad a un día de camino, y gritó diciendo: “¡Dentro de cuarenta días, Nínive será destruida!”
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 El pueblo de Nínive creyó a Dios, y proclamó un ayuno y se vistió de cilicio, desde el más grande hasta el más pequeño.
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 La noticia llegó a oídos del rey de Nínive, quien se levantó de su trono, se quitó el manto real, se cubrió de cilicio y se sentó en cenizas.
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 Hizo una proclama y la publicó por Nínive por decreto del rey y de sus nobles, diciendo: “Que ni el hombre ni el animal, ni la manada ni el rebaño, prueben nada; que no se alimenten ni beban agua;
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 sino que se cubran de cilicio, tanto el hombre como el animal, y que clamen poderosamente a Dios. Sí, que se conviertan todos de su mal camino y de la violencia que hay en sus manos.
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 ¿Quién sabe si Dios no se convertirá y se arrepentirá, y se apartará de su feroz ira, para que no perezcamos?”
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 Dios vio sus obras, que se convirtieron de su mal camino. Dios cedió del desastre que dijo que les haría, y no lo hizo.
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.
