1 و َتَكَلَّمَ اللهُ ثانِيَةً إلَى يُونانَ وَقالَ:

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2 « قُمْ وَاذْهَبْ فِي الحالِ إلَى المَدِينَةِ الكَبِيرَةِ نِينَوَى، وَبَلِّغْ أهلَها رِسالَتِي الَّتِي أُخبِرُكَ بِها.»

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

3 ف َقامَ يُونانُ عَلَى الفَورِ وَذَهَبَ إلَى نِينَوَى، كَما قالَ اللهُ. وَكانَتْ نِينَوَى مَدِينَةً كَبِيرَةً وَتَحتاجُ مَسِيرَةَ ثَلاثَةَ أيّامٍ لِاجتِيازِها.

So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.

4 ف َدَخَلَ يُونانُ المَدِينَةَ، وَمَشَى مَسِيرَةَ يَومٍ واحِدٍ وَهُوَ يُعلِنُ وَيَقُولُ: «بَعدَ أربَعِينَ يَوماً، سَتُدَمَّرُ نِينَوَى.»

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be destroyed.

5 ف َآمَنَ شَعبُ نِينَوَى بِاللهِ وَأعلَنُوا أنَّهُمْ سَيَصُومُونَ وَيَلبِسُونَ الخَيشَ. وَقَدْ فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ كُلُّهُمْ، مِنْ كَبِيرِهِمْ إلَى صَغِيرِهِمْ.

¶ So the people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

6 و َعِندَما وَصَلَ الخَبَرُ إلَى مَلِكِ نِينَوَى، قامَ عَنْ عَرشِهِ، وَخَلَعَ ثَوبَهُ وَلَبِسَ خَيشاً، وَجَلَسَ بَينَ الرَّمادِ.

For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he threw his robe from him and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.

7 ث ُمَّ أصدَرَ الأمرَ المَلَكِيَّ التّالِي فِي كُلِّ نِينَوَى: بِأمرٍ مِنَ المَلِكِ وَكِبارِ وُزَرائِهِ، لا يَأكُلْ إنسانٌ وَلا حَيَوانٌ طَعاماً، وَلا يَشرَبْ ماءً.

And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water:

8 و َلِيَلبِسِ النّاسُ وَالبَهائِمُ خَيشاً، وَلِيُصَلُّوا إلَى اللهِ بِكُلِّ قُوَّتِهُمْ، وَلِيَكُفَّ كُلُّ واحِدٍ عَنْ مَسلَكِهِ الشِّرِّيرِ، وَعَنْ ظُلْمِهِ.

but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God; and let each one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

9 ف َلَعَلَّ اللهَ يَعْدِلُ عَنْ حُكمِهِ، وَيَرجِعَ عَنْ غَضَبِهِ، فَلا نَهلِكَ.

Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger, that we not perish?

10 ف َرَأى اللهُ ما فَعَلُوهُ، وَأنَّهُمْ كَفُّوا عَنْ مَسالِكِهِمِ الشِرِّيرَةِ، فَعَدَلَ اللهُ عَنْ حُكمِهِ بِخُصُوصِ العِقابِ الَّذِي قالَ إنَّهُ سَيُوقِعُهُ بِهِمْ، وَلَمْ يُنَفِّذْهُ.

And God saw their works, because they turned from their evil way, and he repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did not do it.