Lesson 064
In the Assyrian city of Nineveh, the people were wicked.
Emwa dan ẹre ọ wa gha rre ẹvbo e Nenivẹ nọ rre Asiria.
Jehovah told his prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn them that they should change their ways.
E Jehova keghi tama akhasẹ e Jona nọ gha rrie Nenivẹ, ne ọ ya ye obọ sekhae ma iran wẹẹ, ne iran fi uyinmwẹ iran werriẹ.
But Jonah ran away in the opposite direction.
Sokpan e Jona keghi mu uhunmwu daa ẹvbo ọvbehe ne ọ mieke na lẹẹ fua.
He got on a ship bound for Tarshish and sailed away.
Ọ na la okọ nọ rrie Tasis.
While the ship was at sea, a violent storm came up, and the sailors were terrified.
Vbe iran ghi rre uwu ẹzẹ, ogbigbi ẹhoho keghi suẹn, ohan na gha mu emwa hia.
They prayed to their gods and asked:
Iran na suẹn gha na erhunmwu gie dọmwadẹ ẹbọ ne iran ga, iran na gha nọ wẹẹ:
‘Why is this happening?’
‘Vbe ena ya de?’
Finally, Jonah told them:
Vbe okiekie, e Jona keghi tama iran wẹẹ:
‘I am to blame.
‘Mẹ ẹre ọ si ẹre.
I am running away from what Jehovah told me to do.
Te I lẹẹ re ne uhunmwu ne Jehova gie mwẹ re.
Throw me into the sea, and the storm will stop.’
Uwa fi mwẹ fi uwu ẹzẹ, ne ogbigbi ẹhoho na, mieke na dobọ yi.’
The sailors didn’t want to throw Jonah overboard, but he insisted.
Iran ma te hoo ne iran fi ẹre fi uwu ẹzẹ, sokpan ọ na ye gha tama iran ne iran ru vberriọ.
When they did throw him into the sea, the storm stopped.
Vbe iran ghi gele fi ẹre fi uwu ẹzẹ, ehe hia na ye hii.
Jonah thought he was going to die.
Emwi ọkpa nọ ghaa rre Jona orhiọn ọre wẹẹ, uwu ẹre irẹn ghi wa miẹn na.
As he sank deeper and deeper into the sea, he prayed to Jehovah.
Vbene ọ ya gha dinmwi khian vbuwe ẹzẹ nii, erriọ ẹre ọ ya gha na erhunmwu gie Jehova.
Then Jehovah sent a huge fish.
E Jehova na ghi gie ehẹn nọkhua rre.
It swallowed Jonah, but that didn’t kill him.
Ọ keghi mi e Jona re, sokpan ọ ma wu.
From inside the fish, Jonah prayed:
E Jona na gha na erhunmwu vbuwe ẹko ehẹn, ọ na tama e Jehova wẹẹ:
‘I promise to obey you always.’
‘Ẹghẹ hia, ẹre I khian ghi ya gha họn ẹmwẹ nuẹ.’
Jehovah kept Jonah safe inside the fish for three days and then made the fish spit Jonah out onto dry land.
E Jehova keghi gbaroghe Jona vbuwe ẹko ehẹn vbe ọwara ikpẹdẹ eha, iyeke ọni, e Jehova keghi ruẹ ne ehẹn nii ya kpa e Jona ye otọ nọ kae.
Since Jehovah had saved Jonah, did this mean that he didn’t have to go to Nineveh after all?
Ugbẹnvbe Jehova ghi miẹn e Jona fan nẹ, ọni ghi rhiema wẹẹ, ẹi khian ghi yo e Nenivẹ ra?
No.
Hiehie.
Jehovah again told Jonah to go there.
E Jehova keghi werriegbe tama e Jona nọ gha rrie evba.
This time, Jonah obeyed.
Ẹre Jona na gha khian.
He went there and told those wicked people:
Ọ ghi sẹ evba, ọ na gha tama emwa dan ni rre ẹvbo nii wẹẹ:
‘In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed.’
‘Ikpẹdẹ 40 kẹkan ẹre ọ ghi dekẹ na guọghọ e Nenivẹ rua.’
Then something unexpected happened—the Ninevites listened and changed their ways.
Sokpan, Ivbi e Nenivẹ keghi fiwerriẹ, agharhemiẹn wẹẹ e Jona ma te roro ẹre wẹẹ, ọ gha de vberriọ.
The king of Nineveh told his people:
Ọba ọghe Nenivẹ keghi tama emwa rẹn wẹẹ:
‘Call out to God, and repent.
‘Wa gi ima fiwerriẹ, ne ima rinmwia Osanobua nọ yabọ ima.
Perhaps he will not destroy us.’
Egbọre, ọ gha tohan ima.’
When Jehovah saw that the people repented, he did not destroy Nineveh.
Vbe Jehova ghi bẹghe ẹre wẹẹ Ivbi e Nenivẹ fiwerriẹ, ọ ma ghi guọghọ iran rua.
Jonah was angry that the city was not destroyed.
Ohu na gha mu e Jona rhunmwuda ne Osanobua ma na ghi guọghọ ẹvbo nii rua.
Just think:
Muẹn roro:
Jehovah had been patient and merciful with Jonah, but Jonah was not merciful with the people of Nineveh.
E Jona ma hoo ne ọ mwẹ itohan ghee Ivbi e Nenivẹ, vbene ọ na mianmian wẹẹ e Jehova ka mwẹ itohan ghee irẹn.
Instead, he sat outside the city in the shade of a bottle-gourd plant and pouted.
Ọ na ya tota ye irhu ọghe ọmọ erhan ọkpa, vbene ọ na suku aro ye uhunmwu.
Then the plant died, and Jonah got angry.
Vbe ọmọ erhan nii ghi giẹn, ohu na gha mu e Jona.
So Jehovah told him:
Ẹre Jehova na tama rẹn wẹẹ:
‘You care more about this plant than you do about the Ninevites.
‘U ma bẹghe vbe ohu muẹn ye ọmọ erhan nọ giẹnrẹn, inu ghi nọ ne Ivbi e Nenivẹ?
I showed them mercy, and they survived.’
Mẹ ẹre ọ mwẹ itohan ghee iran, ẹre ọ zẹe ne iran na miẹn fan.’
What was the point? The people of Nineveh were more important than any plant.
Te Jehova ru ọna, ne ọ ya gi e Jona rẹn wẹẹ, Ivbi e Nenivẹ ẹre ọ ru ekpataki sẹ emwi okọ nọ rhirhi gha khin.
“Jehovah ... is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.”—2 Peter 3:9
“Nọyaẹnmwa ... zin egbe rhunmwuda uwa, rhunmwuda, irẹn i hoo ne ọmwa rhọkpa fuan, sokpan ọ hoo ne emwa hia fiwerriẹ hin orukhọ iran rre.”—2 Pita 3:9
Questions:
Inọta:
What lessons did Jehovah teach Jonah?
De emwi ne Jehova maa e Jona re?
What can we learn from what happened to Jonah?
De emwi ne ima gha miẹn ruẹ vbe okha ọghe Jona?