Yona 3
1 Afei, Awurade asɛm baa Yona nkyɛn ne mprenu so se,
Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
2 “Kɔ Ninewe kuropɔn no mu, na kɔpae mu ka asɛm a mede rema wo yi.”
“Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
3 Yona yɛɛ osetie maa Awurade asɛm no, na ɔkɔɔ Ninewe. Na Ninewe yɛ kuropɔn titiriw a wɔde nnansa na etwa mu nyinaa.
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 Da a edi kan no, Yona hyɛn kuropɔn no mu, na ofii ase pae mu kae se, “Aka adaduanan na wɔadan Ninewe abutuw.”
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 Ninewefo gyee Nyankopɔn dii. Wɔhyɛɛ sɛ wɔn nyinaa bedi mmuada, efi ɔkɛse so kosi aketewa so, na wɔafurafura atweaatam.
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 Bere a Ninewehene tee asɛm no, ɔsɔre fii nʼahengua so, ɔworɔw nʼahentade, ofuraa atweaatam, na ɔtenaa mfutuma mu.
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 Afei, ɔma wɔbɔɔ dawuru wɔ Ninewe se, “Mmara a wofi ɔhene ne nʼatitiriw hɔ ni: “Obiara, sɛ ɔyɛ onipa anaa aboa, anantwikuw anaa nguankuw, mmfa hwee nka nʼano; onnnidi anaa ɔnnom.
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 Na mmom nnipa ne mmoa mfa atweaatam nkata wɔn ho. Obiara mfa anibere nsu mfrɛ Onyankopɔn. Womfi wɔn akwammɔne so, na wonnyae basabasayɛ.
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 Hena na onim? Ebia, Onyankopɔn behu yɛn mmɔbɔ, na watwe nʼabufuwhyew no a ɔnam so rebɛsɛe yɛn no asan.”
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 Na Onyankopɔn huu sɛnea wɔyɛɛ ne sɛnea wɔsan fii wɔn akwammɔne ho no, ohuu wɔn mmɔbɔ, na wansɛe wɔn sɛnea ɔkae no.
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.
