Shanduko ye bathu be Ninive
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jona gwe bubili liti, 2 “Milika uyende ku Ninive nzi nkulu usinshoma, ngono usumikile kuuli sumikilo yandinokudwa.” 3 Ipapo Jona kamilika kayenda ku Ninive kuyendidzana ne dama la Yahwe. Ninive wakabe uli nzi nkulu usinshoma mu mesho e Ndzimu, kungabe gwendo gwe mazhuba matatu kuupalama. 4 Jona katangisa kungina mu nzi nkulu gwendo gwe zhuba, ngono kasumikila eti, “Mu mazhuba ali makumi manna, nzi we Ninive unowobe ukolomogwa.” 5 Ndizo bathu be Ninive bakagalamoyo mu Ndzimu, ngono bakaloba lukombo ngekwe kuzwinyima zojiwa, bakaambala jila le saka kudwa mu nkulu tjose kunoti mu ntukununu tjose.
6 Kwakati thawu dziswika kuna mambo we Ninive, kamilika pa tjigalo tjitje tje bushe, kambula tjiambalo tjitje tje bushe, ngono kazwifukidza nge jila le saka ebe enogala pa tjizhalanlota. 7 Ipapo kadusa mima ngono ikaandama nge Ninive yose eti, “Nge kulaya kwa mambo ne hadzasha dzidze, ‘Kusibe ne nthu kene ithuwo, ng'ombe kene pkhwizi zwingalabila tjimwe, kusijiwe ne vula kusing'wiwe. 8 Ngakuti nthu ne ithuwo zwifukidziwe nge jila le saka, kuliligwe ku Ndzimu nge masimba, ngono mmwe ne mmwe ashanduke mu zila dzidze dzakabipa ne mu ngwa dze maboko. 9 Ndiani unoziba, Ndzimu ungashanduka ukabe ne ngoni, ungashandukila bushongola gwawo gunotjisa kuti ndizo tisilobe.’ ”
10 Kwakati Ndzimu ubona mishingo yabo kuti bashanduka mu zila dzabo dzakabipa, Ndzimu ukabe ne ngoni ukashandukila kuhwisa zogwadza kwawakati unowobathamila iko, ngono ukasikuthame.
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1 Once again the Lord told Jonah 2 to go to that great city of Nineveh and preach his message of doom.
3 Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh. The city was so big that it took three days just to walk through it. 4 After walking for a day, Jonah warned the people, “Forty days from now, Nineveh will be destroyed!”
5 They believed God's message and set a time when they would go without eating to show their sorrow. Then everyone in the city, no matter who they were, dressed in sackcloth.
6 When the king of Nineveh heard what was happening, he also dressed in sackcloth; he left the royal palace and sat in dust. 7-9 Then he and his officials sent out an order for everyone in the city to obey. It said:
None of you or your animals may eat or drink a thing. Each of you must wear sackcloth, and you must even put sackcloth on your animals.
You must also pray to the Lord God with all your heart and stop being sinful and cruel. Maybe God will change his mind and have mercy on us, so we won't be destroyed.
10 When God saw that the people had stopped doing evil things, he had pity and did not destroy them as he had planned.