Jonah Runs from the Lord
1 One day the Lord told Jonah, the son of Amittai, 2 to go to the great city of Nineveh and say to the people, “The Lord has seen your terrible sins. You are doomed!”
3 Instead, Jonah ran from the Lord. He went to the seaport of Joppa and found a ship that was going to Spain. So he paid his fare, then got on the ship and sailed away to escape.
4 But the Lord made a strong wind blow, and such a bad storm came up that the ship was about to be broken to pieces. 5 The sailors were frightened, and they all started praying to their gods. They even threw the ship's cargo overboard to make the ship lighter.
All this time, Jonah was down below deck, sound asleep. 6 The ship's captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep at a time like this? Get up and pray to your God! Maybe he will have pity on us and keep us from drowning.”
7 Finally, the sailors got together and said, “Let's ask our gods to show us who caused all this trouble.” It turned out to be Jonah.
8 They started asking him, “Are you the one who brought all this trouble on us? What business are you in? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?”
9 Jonah answered, “I'm a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 When the sailors heard this, they were frightened, because Jonah had already told them he was running from the Lord. Then they said, “Do you know what you have done?”
11 The storm kept getting worse, until finally the sailors asked him, “What should we do with you to make the sea calm down?”
12 Jonah told them, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I'm the cause of this terrible storm.”
13 The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute. 14 So they prayed to the Lord, “Please don't let us drown for taking this man's life. Don't hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to.” 15 Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down. 16 The sailors were so terrified that they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made all kinds of promises.
17 The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Okuhinonḓuviro kwa Jona ku Muhona
1 Eyuva rimwe Muhona wa hungira ku Jona, omuzandu wa Amitai, a tja: 2 “Twende kotjihuro otjinene Ninive nu u katjivise ombanguriro yandje kutjo, orondu ami mba muna ourunde wovature vatjo.” 3 Nungwari moruveze rwokuyenda kOninive Jona wa hena komurungu wa Muhona. Eye wa ya kOjopa a kavaza ko ondjuwoyomomeva ndja ri pokuyenda kOtarsis. Eye wa suta ovimariva vyouyenda na rondo puna ovaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva okuyenda kOtarsis kutja a zenge komurungu wa Muhona.
4 Nungwari Muhona wa hinda otjivepo otjinamasa kombanda yokuvare; notjipukupuku tja handja tjinene nga indji ondjuwoyomomeva tji ya hara okuteka. 5 Novaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva avehe va uruma tjinene nave ku ombatero, auhe komukuru we wotjisenginina. Nowo va imbirahi omitwaro vyondjuwoyomomeva mokuvare kutja i rire ombupu. Jona tjandje nai wa pundu rukuru metuwo rokehi, nu wa rara ozomboṱu.
6 Nomunane wondjuwoyomomeva we mu vaza mo na tja ku ye: “Ove wa hapa vi tji wa rara nai? Penduka u kumbe ku Ndjambi woye! Ngahino eye me tu ṱire ondjenda atu ha ṱu.”
7 Novaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva arire tji verihungirire oveni ave tja: “Ngatu yumbe ozohanga pe horoke kutja ondjo i na uṋe ngwe tu etere oumba mu tu ri mbwi.” Nowo va tjita nao, nu Jona a rire ngwa urikwa. 8 Nowo va tja nai ku ye: “Tu tjivisa kutja oove ngu wa eta oumba mbwi? Mo unguraye mba? Nu wa za pi? Oove owehi riṋe, nu oove omungehoko?”
9 Nu Jona wa zira a tja: “Owami Omuheberi, nu mbi rikotamena ku Muhona Ndjambi weyuru ngwa mema okuvare nehi.”
10 Novaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva va uruma tjinene nave tja nai ku ye: “Ove wa tjita otjikeṋa? Orondu owo tjinga ava tjiwa kutja eye wa hena komurungu wa Muhona, indu tja za nokuveraera nao.” 11 Notjipukupuku oruveze aruhe tjandje matji ririre ko otjindandi tjinene, novaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva opu ve mu purira nai: “Ngatu ku tjite vi kutja okuvare ku porimane?”
12 Jona we ve zira a tja: “Ndji tooreye mu ndji yumbe mokuvare, nokuvare otji maku porimana. Ami me tjiwa kutja otjipukupuku hi tji tje ya kombanda yeṋu, tja pitire mu ami.”
13 Moruveze rwanao ovaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva va rora okuhingira ondjuwoyomomeva komukuro nomasa, nungwari owo kave sorere ko, otjipukupuku hi tjinga atja ririra ko otjindandi tjinene. 14 Owo otji va ura ku Muhona ave tja: “Arikana, Muhona, matu kumbu kove, o tu yandeke mena romurumendu ngwi; o tu vere otja mbu tu ri ovazepe, orondu oove, Muhona, ngu wa tjita nao otja kombango yoye.” 15 Nowo otji va toora Jona nave mu yumbu mokuvare nu mokamanga okwo arire tji kwa porimana. 16 Ovaungure vomondjuwoyomomeva otji va tira Muhona tjinene, ave mu punguhire ombunguhiro nave kwizike okumukarera.
17 Nu Muhona wa rakiza ohi onene kutja i ṋiṋe Jona. Nu Jona wa kara mezumo rohi ndji oure womayuva yetatu nomauṱuku yetatu.
