Di Call Wey Jonah Run Comot From
One prophet run from Papa call to go preach give Israel enemy dem, one big fish swallow am, and e learn—even though e no want—say our Papa compassion wide pass him own well well.
1 1Now di word of our Papa come reach Jonah, Amittai im pikin:
2“Wake up, go Nineveh, dat big city, and cry out against am, because dia evil don rise reach my front.”
3But Jonah stand up to run go Tarshish, comot from our Papa presence. He go down reach Joppa, find one ship wey dey go Tarshish, pay im money, and enter am make he go wit dem to Tarshish, comot from our Papa presence.
4Den our Papa throw one big wind for di sea; one strong storm rise, and e be like say di ship wan break. 5Fear catch di sailor-men, each one dey cry to im own god. Dem throw di load wey dey inside di ship enter di sea make e light. But Jonah don go down inside di ship, wia he lie down dey sleep sotay. 6Di captain come and talk say, “How you fit dey sleep? Wake up, call your god! Maybe he go notice us, and we no go die.”
7Di men talk to each other say, “Make we come cast lot to find who cause dis wahala wey happen to us.” Dem cast lot, and e fall on Jonah. 8Dem talk to am say, “Tell us—you wey bring dis wahala come on us—wetin be your work? Wia you come from? Wetin be your country? Which people you come from?”
9He answer say, “I be Hebrew, and I dey fear our Papa, di Papa of heaven, wey make di sea and di dry land.”
10Den fear catch di men and dem talk say, “Wetin be dis wey you do?” Because dem know say he dey run comot from our Papa presence, because he don tell dem.
11Den dem talk to am say, “Wetin we go do you make di sea calm down for us?”—because di sea just dey rough more and more.
12He tell dem say, “Carry me up and throw me enter di sea, and e go calm for una. I know say dis big storm come on una because of me.”
13Instead di men row hard to reach land, but dem no fit, because di sea just dey rough more and more against dem. 14So dem cry out to our Papa say: “Abeg, God, no let us die because of dis man life wey we take. No hold us guilty of innocent blood, because you don do wetin you like.” 15Den dem carry Jonah up and throw am enter di sea, and di sea wey dey rough calm down. 16Di men come fear our Papa well well, offer sacrifice to our Papa, and make vow.
