Yona 1
1 Awurade asɛm baa Amitai babarima Yona nkyɛn sɛ,
[One day] Yahweh said to [the prophet] Jonah, the son of Amittai,
2 “Kɔ kuropɔn kɛseɛ Ninewe mu na kɔka asɛmpa no tia wɔn sɛ wɔn atirimuɔdensɛm aforo abɛduru mʼanim.”
“I have [seen] how wicked [the people of] [MTY] the great city of Nineveh are. Therefore go there and warn the people that [I am planning to] destroy their city [because of their sins].”
3 Nanso, Yona dwane firii Awurade anim na ɔde nʼani kyerɛɛ Tarsis. Ɔkɔɔ Yopa, na ɛhɔ ɔkɔnyaa ɛhyɛn a ɛrekɔ Tarsis. Ɔtuaa ka kɔtenaa ɛhyɛn no mu, sɛ ɔrefiri Awurade anim akɔ Tarsis.
But [instead of going to Nineveh], Jonah [went in the direction] opposite to where Yahweh [told him to go]. He went down to Joppa [city]. There he bought a ticket to travel on a ship that was going to Tarshish [city], in order to avoid [doing what] Yahweh [told him to do]. [He got on the ship, ] and [then went down] to a lower deck, [lay down, and went to sleep].
4 Nanso Awurade maa mframa kɛseɛ bi bɔɔ wɔ ɛpo no so; ɛmaa ahum tuiɛ a, anka ɛhyɛn no rebɛbɔ.
Then Yahweh caused a very strong wind to blow, and there was such a violent storm that [the sailors thought] the ship would break apart.
5 Ɛhyɛn no mufoɔ no nyinaa surooɛ na obiara su frɛɛ ne nyame. Wɔtotoo adwadeɛ a ɛwɔ ɛhyɛn no mu guguu ɛpo no mu sɛdeɛ ɛhyɛn no mu bɛyɛ herɛ. Nanso na Yona akɔhyɛ ɛhyɛn no ase baabi ada hatee.
The sailors were very frightened. Because of that, they each [started to] pray to their own gods [to save them]. Then they threw the cargo into the sea to make the ship lighter [in order that it would not sink easily].
6 Ɛna ɛhyɛn no so panin no kɔɔ ne nkyɛn kɔkaa sɛ, “Adɛn na woada? Sɔre na frɛ wo nyame! Ebia, ɔbɛhunu yɛn mmɔbɔ, na yɛannwuwu.”
Then the captain went [down] to where Jonah was sleeping soundly. [He awoke him] and said [to him], “(How can you sleep [during a storm like this]?/You should not be sleeping [during a storm like this]) [RHQ]! Get up and pray to your god! Perhaps he will pity us and save us, in order that we will not drown!” [But Jonah refused to do that].
7 Afei ɛhyɛn no mufoɔ no keka kyerɛɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho sɛ, “Momma yɛmmɔ ntonto nhwehwɛ deɛ saa amanehunu yi nam ne so aba.” Wɔbɔɔ ntonto no na ɛbɔɔ Yona.
Then the sailors said to each other, “We need to (cast lots/shake from a container small objects that we have all marked), to determine who has caused [all] this trouble!” So they did that, and [the object with] Jonah’s mark fell out [of the container].
8 Enti wɔbisaa no sɛ, “Kyerɛ yɛn, hwan na wama saa ɔhaw yi nyinaa aba? Adwuma bɛn na woyɛ? Ɛhe na wo fire? Ɔman bɛn so na wofiri? Ɛhefoɔ ne wo nkurɔfoɔ?”
So [various ones of] them asked him, “Are you the one who has caused us all this trouble?” “What work do you do?” “Where are you [coming] from?” “What country and what people-group do you belong to?”
9 Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Meyɛ Hebrini, na mesom Awurade, ɔsoro Onyankopɔn a, ɔbɔɔ ɛpo ne asase.”
Jonah replied, “I am a Hebrew. I worship Yahweh God, who [lives in] heaven. He is the one who made the sea and the land. I am trying to escape from [doing what] Yahweh [told me to do].”
10 Yei bɔɔ wɔn hu, enti wɔbisaa Yona sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na woayɛ?” (Na wɔnim sɛ ɔredwane afiri Awurade nkyɛn, ɛfiri sɛ na waka saa akyerɛ wɔn dada).
After the sailors heard that, they were terrified. So they asked him, “Do you realize what [trouble] you have caused?”
11 Na ahum no kɔ so tu dendeenden ara. Enti wɔbisaa no sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na yɛnyɛ wo a ɛbɛma ahum yi ano abrɛ ase ama yɛn?”
The [storm kept getting worse and] the waves kept getting bigger. So [one of] the sailors asked Jonah, “What should we do in order to make the sea become calm?”
12 Yona buaa wɔn sɛ, “Momma me so nto me ntwene ɛpo yi mu, na ano bɛdwo. Menim sɛ me enti na ahum kɛseɛ yi retu mo so.”
He replied, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. [If you do that], it will become calm. I know that this terrible storm is the result of my [not doing what Yahweh told me to do].”
13 Mmarima no yɛɛ deɛ wɔbɛtumi biara sɛ wɔbɛhare ɛhyɛn no akɔ mpoano. Nanso, wɔantumi, ɛsiane sɛ na ɛpo so ahum no ano ayɛ den asene kane no.
But the sailors did [not want to do that]. [Instead], they tried hard to row the ship back to the land. But they could not [do that], because the storm continued to get worse.
14 Afei wosu frɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Ao Awurade yɛsrɛ wo mma yɛn nwuwu sɛ yɛama ɔbarima yi ahwere ne nkwa enti. Mma yɛn nni fɔ wɔ ɔbarima yi mogya ho, ɛfiri sɛ, Ao Awurade wayɛ deɛ wo pɛ.”
Therefore they prayed to Yahweh, and [one of them] prayed, “O Yahweh, please do not let us drown because of our causing this man to die. O Yahweh, you have done what you wanted to do. [We do not know if this man has sinned. If] he has not sinned, do not consider that we are guilty of sinning when we cause him to die!”
15 Afei, wɔmaa Yona so too no twenee ɛpo no mu, na ɛpo a na ɛrehuru soɔ no yɛɛ dinn.
Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea. Then the sea became calm.
16 Yei maa mmarima no suroo Awurade pa ara na wɔbɔɔ afɔdeɛ maa Awurade, na wɔhyɛɛ no bɔ.
[When that happened], the sailors became greatly awed at Yahweh’s [power]. So they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and they strongly promised [him that they would do things that would please him].
17 Na Awurade maa apataa kɛseɛ bi bɛmenee Yona, na Yona daa apataa no yam nnansa, awia ne anadwo.
[While they were doing that, ] Yahweh sent a huge fish that swallowed Jonah. Then Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
