1 N ow Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

تَكَلَّمَ اللهُ بِكَلِمَتِهِ لِيُونانَ بْنِ أمِتّايَ، فَقالَ:

2 “ Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”

«قُمْ وَاذْهَبْ حالاً إلَى المَدِينَةِ الكَبيرَةِ نِينَوَى، وَبَلِّغْ أهلَها أنَّنِي أعلَمُ بِالشُّرُورِ الَّتِي يَصنَعُونَها.»

3 B ut Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.

لَكِنَّ يُونانَ انطَلَقَ لِيَهرُبَ إلَى تَرْشِيشَ بَعِيداً عَنْ وَجهِ اللهِ. فَنَزَلَ إلَى يافا، حَيثُ وَجَدَ سَفِينَةً ذاهِبَةً إلَى تَرْشِيشَ. فَدَفَعَ أُجرَتَها وَرَكِبَ السَّفِينَةَ لِيَذهَبَ مَعَهُمْ إلَى تَرْشِيشَ بَعِيداً عَنْ وَجهِ اللهِ.

4 B ut Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.

فَأرسَلَ اللهُ رِيحاً قَوِيَّةً عَلَى البَحرِ. فَحَدَثَتْ عاصِفَةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ، وَبَدا أنَّ السَّفِينَةَ سَتَتَحَطَّمُ.

5 T hen the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.

فَخافَ البَّحارَةُ وَصَلَّى كُلٌّ مِنهُمْ لإلَهِهِ طَلَباً لِلعَونِ. وَألقَوْا بِالبِضاعَةِ الَّتِي فِي السَّفِينَةِ إلَى البَحرِ لِتُصبِحَ السَّفِينَةُ أخَفَّ، فَلا تَغْرَقَ. وَفِي هَذَهِ الأثناءِ، نَزَلَ يُونانُ إلَى داخِلِ السَّفِينَةِ، وَاستَلقَى هُناكَ وَنامَ نَوماً عَمِيقاً.

6 S o the ship master came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”

فَجاءَ القُبطانُ إلَى يُونانَ وَقالَ لَهُ: «لِماذا أنتَ نائِمٌ؟ قُمْ وَصَلِّ لإلَهِكَ، فَقَدْ يَلتَفِتُ إلَينا، فَلا نَمُوتُ.»

7 T hey all said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

ثُمَّ قالَ البَحّارَةُ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: «لِنُلْقِ قُرعَةً بَينَنا، لِنَعلَمَ مَنْ سَبَّبَ لَنا هَذِهِ المِحنَةَ.» فَأجرُوا قُرعَةً، وَوَقَعَتِ القُرْعَةُ عَلَى يُونانَ.

8 T hen they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?”

فَقالُوا لَهُ: «أخْبِرنا مَنْ هُوَ سَبَبُ هَذِهِ المِحنَةِ؟ ما هُوَ عَمَلُكَ؟ وَمِنْ أيْنَ أتَيْتَ؟ مِنْ أيِّ بَلَدٍ أنْتَ وَمَنْ هُمْ قَومُكَ؟»

9 H e said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”

فَقالَ لَهُمْ يُونانُ: «أنا عِبرانِيٌّ، أعبُدُ اللهَ ، إلَهَ السَّماءِ، خالِقَ البَحرِ وَاليابِسَةِ.»

10 T hen were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.

فَخافَ الرِّجالُ خَوفاً شَدِيداً وَقالُوا لَهُ: «ما الَّذِي فَعَلْتَهُ؟» لأنَّهُمْ عَلِمُوا أنَّهُ هارِبٌ مِنْ وَجهِ اللهِ ، كَما أخبَرَهُمْ.

11 T hen they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?” For the sea grew more and more stormy.

ثُمَّ قالُوا: «ماذا نَفعَلُ بِكَ لِيَهدَأَ البَحرُ؟» لأنَّ البَحرَ أصْبَحَ أكثَرَ هَيَجاناً.

12 H e said to them, “Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; for I know that because of me this great storm is on you.”

فَقالَ: «ألقُوا بِي إلَى البَحْرِ فَيَهدَأَ، لأنَّ هَذِهِ العاصِفَةَ كُلَّها بِسَبَبِي.»

13 N evertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them.

لَكِنَّ الرِّجالَ حاوَلُوا أنْ يُجَدِّفُوا عائِدِينَ إلَى اليابِسَةِ، فَلَمْ يَستَطِيعُوا، لِأنَّ البَحرَ أصْبَحَ أكثَرَ هَيَجاناً.

14 T herefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you.”

فَصَلُّوا إلَى اللهِ وَقالُوا: «يا اللهُ ، لا تُحَمِّلنا ثَمَنَ حَياةِ هَذا الرَّجُلِ، وَمَسؤُولِيَّةَ قَتلِ رَجُلٍ بَرِيءٍ، لأنَّكَ أنْتَ تَفْعَلُ ما تَشاءُ.»

15 S o they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging.

ثُمَّ أمسَكُوا بِيُونانَ وَألقَوْا بِهِ فِي البَحرِ، فَهَدَأَ البَحرُ حالاً.

16 T hen the men feared Yahweh exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and made vows.

وَخافَ الرِّجالُ اللهَ خَوْفاً عَظِيماً، وَذَبَحُوا لَهُ وَقَطَعُوا عُهُوداً.

17 Y ahweh prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

ثُمَّ أرسَلَ اللهُ سَمَكَةً كَبِيرَةً لِتَبتَلِعَ يُونانَ، وَمَكَثَ يُونانُ فِي بَطنِ السَّمَكَةِ ثَلاثَةَ أيّامٍ وَثَلاثَ لَيالٍ.