< Yona 4 >

1 Nanso na eyi yɛ mfomso kɛse ma Yona, na ne bo fuwii.
And it is grievous unto Jonah — a great evil — and he is displeased at it;
2 Ɔbɔɔ Awurade mpae se, “Awurade, bere a na mewɔ fie no, ɛnyɛ sɛɛ na mekae? Eyi nti na meperee sɛ miguan akɔ Tarsis no, efisɛ na minim sɛ, woyɛ ɔdomfo ne mmɔborɔhunu Nyankopɔn a wo bo kyɛ fuw, na wo dɔ boro so. Woyɛ Onyankopɔn a ɔtwentwɛn nʼanan ase wɔ bɔne amanehunu ho.
and he prayeth unto Jehovah, and he saith, 'I pray Thee, O Jehovah, is not this my word while I was in mine own land — therefore I was beforehand to flee to Tarshish — that I have known that Thou [art] a God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, and repenting of evil?
3 Afei, Awurade! Gye me nkwa fi me nsɛm. Eye ma me sɛ mewu sen sɛ mɛtena ase.”
And now, O Jehovah, take, I pray Thee, my soul from me, for better [is] my death than my life.'
4 Na Awurade buae se, “Eye sɛ wo bo fuw wɔ saa asɛm yi ho ana?”
And Jehovah saith, 'Is doing good displeasing to thee?'
5 Na Yona kɔɔ kuropɔn no apuei fam baabi kɔtenaa hɔ. Ɔbɔɔ pata tenaa ne nwini no mu, twɛn nea ɛbɛba kuropɔn no so.
And Jonah goeth forth from the city, and sitteth on the east of the city, and maketh to himself there a booth, and sitteth under it in the shade, till that he seeth what is in the city.
6 Na Awurade Nyankopɔn maa dua bi a ɛwɔ nhaban pii nyin ntɛmntɛm wɔ nʼatifi na ɛmaa Yona nyaa ahotɔ, na nʼani gyee dua no ho.
And Jehovah God appointeth a gourd, and causeth it to come up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head, to give deliverance to him from his affliction, and Jonah rejoiceth because of the gourd [with] great joy.
7 Nanso ahemadakye no, Onyankopɔn maa ɔsa bɛwee dua no maa nhaban no poe.
And God appointeth a worm at the going up of the dawn on the morrow, and it smiteth the gourd, and it drieth up.
8 Owia puei no, Onyankopɔn maa apuei mframa bi a mu yɛ hyew bɔe, na owia hyee Yona apampam ma ɔtɔɔ beraw. Ɔpɛɛ sɛ owu, na ɔkae se, “Eye ma me sɛ miwu sen sɛ metena ase.”
And it cometh to pass, about the rising of the sun, that God appointeth a cutting east wind, and the sun smiteth on the head of Jonah, and he wrappeth himself up, and asketh his soul to die, and saith, 'Better [is] my death than my life.'
9 Onyankopɔn bisaa Yona se, “Eye sɛ wofa abufuw wɔ dua no ho ana?” Yona buae se, “Yiw, me bo afuw, na sɛ miwu a anka mepɛ.”
And God saith unto Jonah: 'Is doing good displeasing to thee, because of the gourd?' and he saith, 'To do good is displeasing to me — unto death.'
10 Na Awurade kae se, “Dua yi ho asɛm ahaw wo, nanso woanni ho dwuma biara, na ɛnyɛ wo na woma enyinii. Efifii ntɛmntɛm na ewuu ntɛmntɛm.
And Jehovah saith, 'Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou didst not labour, neither didst thou nourish it, which a son of a night was, and a son of a night perished,
11 Nanso nnipa mpem ɔha ne aduonu wɔ Ninewe a wonnim wɔn benkum ne wɔn nifa. Na mmoa bebree nso wɔ hɔ. Ɛnsɛ sɛ mema Ninewe kuropɔn yi ho asɛm haw me ana?”
and I — have not I pity on Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than twelve myriads of human beings, who have not known between their right hand and their left — and much cattle!'

< Yona 4 >