JONA
1 Jehova wakhuluma naJona*+ indvodzana ya-Amithayi watsi: 2 “Hamba uye edolobheni lelikhulu lokutsiwa yiNineve,+ futsi umemetele kubantfu bakhona kutsi lelidolobha litawubhujiswa, ngobe labantfu benta tintfo letinyenti letimbi.”
3 Kodvwa Jona wabalekela Jehova waya eThashishi; wehlela eJopha wafike wakhandza umkhumbi loya eThashishi. Ngako wabhadala imali futsi wagibela lomkhumbi, wabalekela Jehova.
4 Jehova wabese utfumela umoya lomkhulu elwandle, futsi kwaba nesivunguvungu lesikhulu kangangekutsi lomkhumbi besewungephuka nobe ngunini. 5 Ematilosi esaba kakhulu kangangekutsi ngulelo nalelo lakhala kunkulunkulu walo licela lusito. Abese atsatsa umtfwalo lobewukulomkhumbi awujikijela elwandle kuze lomkhumbi ube lula.+ Kodvwa Jona bekehlele ekhatsi nekhatsi nalomkhumbi, futsi wafike wahhudla lobukhulu butfongo. 6 Kaputeni walomkhumbi weta kuye wafike watsi: “Ulele leni? Vuka uthantaze kunkulunkulu wakho! Mhlawumbe Nkulunkulu weliciniso utasihawukela kuze singafi.”+
7 Ngemuva kwaloko lamatilosi akhuluma odvwa atsi: “Wotani, asishayeni inkatho+ khona sitewubona kutsi ngubani lolosiletsele lenhlekelele.” Ngako ashaya inkatho futsi yadla Jona.+ 8 Abese atsi kuye: “Sicela usitjele, ngubani lona losiletsele lenhlekelele? Wena wenta msebenti muni futsi uchamukaphi? Ubuya kuliphi live, futsi usive sini?”
9 Wawaphendvula watsi: “NgingumHebheru, ngikhonta* Jehova Nkulunkulu wemazulu, loyo lowadala lwandle nemhlabatsi lowomile.”
10 Lamadvodza atsi nakeva loko esaba kakhulu, futsi ambuta atsi: “Ukwenteleni loku?” (Lamadvodza besekati kutsi ubalekela Jehova, ngobe besekawatjelile.) 11 Ngako ambuta atsi: “Sente njani ngawe kuze lolwandle luthule?” Lesivunguvungu lebesiselwandle besichubeka siba nemandla kakhulu. 12 Jona wawaphendvula watsi: “Ngitsatseni ningijikijele elwandle, futsi lutawubese luyathula; ngobe ngiyati kutsi lesivunguvungu lesinemandla kangaka sinihlasela ngenca yami.” 13 Kodvwa lamadvodza agwedla ngemandla kuze ajikise lomkhumbi awuyise elugwini, kepha ehluleka ngobe lesivunguvungu besichubeka siba nemandla kakhulu.
14 Ngemuva kwaloko akhala kuJehova atsi: “Awu Jehova, sicela ungasibhubhisi ngenca yalomuntfu! Sicela ungasibeki licala ngekubulala lendvodza lengakoni lutfo, ngobe loku kuyintsandvo yakho Jehova.” 15 Abese atsatsa Jona amjikijela elwandle; futsi lolwandle lwathula. 16 Lamadvodza acala kumesaba kakhulu Jehova,+ ngako entela Jehova umhlatjelo futsi enta tifungo kuye.
17 Jehova wabese utfumela inhlanti lenkhulu kutsi imite Jona, futsi Jona wahlala esiswini sayo emalanga lamatsatfu nebusuku lobutsatfu.+
2 Ngesikhatsi Jona asesiswini senhlanti,+ wabese uthantaza kuJehova Nkulunkulu wakhe, 2 watsi:
“Ngatsi ngisekuhluphekeni, ngakhala kuwe Jehova futsi wena wangiphendvula.+
Ngakhalela lusito+ ngisekujuleni* kweliThuna.*
Wena wangiva.
3 Ngesikhatsi ungijikijela ekujuleni kwelwandle, phansi emajukujukwini alo,
Emanti angimbonya,+
Futsi onkhe emagagasi akho lanemandla endlula etikwami.+
4 Ngako ngatsi: ‘Wena sewungicoshile embikwakho!
Utsi nje ngisetawuphindze ngilibone lithempeli lakho lelingcwele?’
5 Emanti angimbonya futsi ngacishe ngafa;+
Ngacwila ngaya ekujuleni kwelwandle.
Lukhula lwasemantini lwagigeletela inhloko yami.
6 Ngacwila ngaya emajukujukwini elwandle.*
Emasango elithuna* bekafuna kungivalela kuze kube phakadze.
Kodvwa wena Jehova Nkulunkulu wami, wangikhipha ngiphila emgodzini.+
7 Ngesikhatsi ngiphelelwa ngemandla, ngakhumbula wena Jehova.+
Wawuva umthantazo wami usethempelini lakho lelingcwele.+
8 Labo labakhonta tithico letingenamsebenti bamshiyile loyo lobaphatsa ngelutsandvo lolucotfo.*
9 Kodvwa mine ngitakudvumisa futsi nginikele imihlatjelo kuwe.
Ngitawukwenta loko lengikufungele.+
Awu Jehova, insindziso ivela kuwe.”+
10 Ngemuva kwesikhatsi, Jehova watjela lenhlanti kutsi ihlantele Jona emhlabatsini lowomile, futsi yavele yenta njalo.
3 Jehova wakhuluma naJona kwesibili watsi:+ 2 “Hamba uye kulelidolobha lelikhulu lokutsiwa yiNineve,+ ufike umemetele lomlayeto lengikutjela wona.”
3 Ngako Jona wamlalela Jehova+ futsi wahamba waya eNineve.+ INineve beyilidolobha lelikhulu kakhulu,* bekungatsatsa emalanga lamatsatfu kutsi umuntfu alihambe lonkhe ngetinyawo. 4 Jona wangena kulelidolobha futsi wahamba lilanga lonkhe amemetela* atsi: “Sekusele emalanga langu-40 kutsi iNineve ibhujiswe.”
5 Bantfu baseNineve batsi nabakuva loko bakholwa kuNkulunkulu,+ bamemetela nekutsi wonkhe umuntfu, kusukela kulomncane kuya kulomdzala azile kudla futsi embatse indvwangu yelisaka. 6 Inkhosi yaseNineve yatsi nayiva lomlayeto lobewumenyetelwa nguJona, yasukuma esihlalweni sayo sebukhosi futsi yakhumula ingubo yayo yebukhosi, yembatsa indvwangu yelisaka futsi yahlala emlotseni. 7 Yabese ikhipha simemetelo kuyo yonkhe iNineve yatsi:
“Naku lokushiwo yinkhosi netiphatsimandla tayo: Akube bete umuntfu lodlako nobe lonatsa emanti; netilwane atingadli futsi atinganatsi, kanjalo nemhlambi wetinkhomo, wetimvu newetimbuti. 8 Bantfu netilwane kufanele bembatse tindvwangu temasaka; futsi bakhale bancengisise Nkulunkulu, bashiye tindlela tabo letimbi kanye nebudlova. 9 Kwati bani nje, mhlawumbe Nkulunkulu weliciniso angashintja ingcondvo* ngaloku lafuna kukwenta, abambe nentfukutselo yakhe levutsako kuze angasibhubhisi.”
10 Watsi Nkulunkulu weliciniso nakabona loko lebebakwentile, kutsi bebatishiyile tindlela tabo letimbi,+ washintja ingcondvo* futsi wabese akasayiletsi lenhlekelele lebekatsite utabaletsela yona.+
4 Kodvwa loku kwamcansula kakhulu Jona, futsi watfukutsela wagana lunwabu. 2 Ngako wathantaza kuJehova watsi: “Awu Jehova, ngavele ngabona ngiseseveni lakitsi kutsi kutawenteka loku. Kungako ngabaleka ngaya eThashishi,+ ngobe bengati kutsi wena unguNkulunkulu loneluvelo* nemusa, uyephuta kutfukutsela, uchichima lutsandvo lolucotfo,+ futsi kukuvisa buhlungu kujezisa bantfu. 3 Awu Jehova, ngicela kumane ngife. Kuncono kutsi ngife kunekutsi ngiphile.”+
4 Jehova wambuta watsi: “Unasizatfu sini sekutfukutsela kangaka?”
5 Jona wabese uyaphuma kulelidolobha wahamba wayohlala emphumalanga yalo. Watakhela umtfunti futsi wahlala ngephansi kwawo, wabuka kutsi kutawentekani kulelidolobha.+ 6 Ngemuva kwaloko, Jehova Nkulunkulu wamilisa liselwa* futsi walikhulisa kuze lakhele Jona umtfunti, atoyekela kukhatsateka. Jona wajabula kakhulu ngekutsi kumile leliselwa.
7 Kwatsi ngakusasa nakudzabuka kusa, Nkulunkulu weliciniso watfumela sibungu kutsi siyodla leliselwa futsi labese liyabuna. 8 Nakuphuma lilanga, Nkulunkulu watfumela umoya loshisako wasemphumalanga, lilanga lashisa laze lashaya inhloko yaJona, futsi waba nesiyeti. Bekachubeka acela kutsi amane afe, solo atsi: “Kuncono kutsi ngife kunekutsi ngiphile.”+
9 Nkulunkulu wambuta watsi: “Unasizatfu sini sekutfukutsela kangaka ngenca yaleliselwa?”+
Jona wamphendvula watsi: “Kufanele vele ngitfukutsele, futsi ngitfukutsele kakhulu kuze kutsi angife.” 10 Kodvwa Jehova watsi: “Wena ulivela buhlungu leliselwa ube ungakalihlanyeli futsi ungakalikhulisi; lona likhule ngebusuku bunye futsi kwatsi kusenjalo lafa. 11 Akukafaneli yini nami ngiyivele buhlungu iNineve, lelidolobha lelikhulu kangaka,+ lelinebantfu labangetulu kwa-120 000 labangakwati ngisho nekwehlukanisa emkhatsini walokuhle nalokubi,* futsi akukafaneli yini ngivele netilwane tabo letinyenti kangaka?”+
Lokusho kutsi “Lituba.”
NgesiHebheru kutsi, “ngesaba.”
NgesiHebheru kutsi, “ngisesiswini.”
Nobe “kweShiyoli,” lokusho lithuna lebantfu. Fundza Tinchazelo Temagama.
NgesiHebheru kutsi, “etintsaba.”
NgesiHebheru kutsi, “emhlaba.”
Kungaphindze kubekwe ngekutsi, “ngekwetsembeka.”
NgesiHebheru kutsi, “beyilidolobha lelikhulu kuNkulunkulu.”
Kungaphindze kubekwe ngekutsi, “Jona wangena kulelidolobha wahamba lilanga lonkhe, wabese ucala uyamemetela.”
Nobe “angatisola.”
Nobe “watisola.”
Nobe “lonesihawu.”
Kungaphindze kubekwe ngekutsi, “umhlafutfo.”
Nobe “emkhatsini wesandla sabo sangesekudla nesangesencele.”