< Jonah 3 >

1 Then Yahweh said to Jonah again,
ヱホバの言ふたたびヨナに臨めり 曰く
2 “Go to that great city of Nineveh, and tell them the message that I gave you [previously].”
起てかの大なる府ニネベに往きわが汝に命ずるところを宣よ
3 So [this time] Jonah obeyed Yahweh, and he went to Nineveh. That city was so big that a person [had to walk] for three days to completely [go through] it.
ヨナすなはちヱホバの言に循ひて起てニネベに往り ニネベは甚だ大なる邑にしてこれをめぐるに三日を歴る程なり
4 On the first day [after] Jonah [arrived], he [began walking] through the city. He was proclaiming (OR, At the end of that day he started proclaiming) to the people, “Forty days from now, Nineveh will be destroyed {[God] will destroy Nineveh}!”
ヨナその邑に入はじめ一日路を行つつ呼はり曰けるは四十日を歴ばニネベは滅亡さるべし
5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s [message]. They [all] decided that everyone should begin (fasting/abstaining from food). So [everyone], including important people and unimportant people, [did that]. They [also] put on coarse cloth, [to show that they were sorry for having sinned].
かかりしかばニネベの人々神を信じ斷食を宣れ大なる者より小き者に至るまでみな麻布を衣たり
6 The King of Nineveh heard [what the people were doing]. [So] he took off his royal robes, and [he also] put on coarse cloth. He left his palace, and sat down where there were [cold] ashes, [to show that he also was sorry for having sinned].
この言ニネベの王に聞えければ彼 位より起ち朝服を脱ぎ麻布を身に纒ふて灰の中に坐せり
7 Then he sent messengers to proclaim to [the people in] Nineveh: “My advisors and I have decreed that no one may eat or drink anything. Do not even allow your animals to eat or drink.
また王大臣とともに命をくだしてニネベ中に宣しめて曰く人も畜も牛も羊もともに何をも味ふべからず 又物をくらひ水を飮べからず
8 Instead, every person must put on coarse cloth. [Put coarse cloth on] your animals, [too]. Then everyone must pray fervently to God. And everyone must stop doing evil actions/things, and stop acting violently [toward others].
人も畜も麻布をまとひ只管神に呼はり且おのおの其惡き途および其手に作す邪惡を離るべし
9 Perhaps, [if everyone does that], God may change his mind and be merciful [to us], and stop being very angry with us, with the result that we will not die.”
或は神その聖旨をかへて悔い其烈しき怒を息てわれらを滅亡さざらん 誰かその然らざるを知んや
10 When they [all did that], God saw what they were doing, and he saw that they had stopped doing evil things. So [he pitied them, and] he did not get rid of them as he had threatened to do.
神かれらの爲すところをかんがみ其あしき途を離るるを見そなはし彼等になさんと言し所の災禍を悔て之をなしたまはざりき

< Jonah 3 >