Jonah 1

¹ one day God talk to Jonah son of Amittal.

² He talk say, “Go Nineveh, that great city make you speak against am; I know how wicked her people be.”

³ Jonah comot go another place, so he fit run away from God. He go Joppa, where he see ship wey dey go spain. He pay him transport money enter the ship dey go spain with them, where God no go see am.

⁴ Naso God send strong wind on top sea, the wind strong so tey e wan break the ship.5The sailor dey fear and cry for help, everybody dey call their own god. And dem dey throw load inside water so the danger go fit reduce. But Jonah don go down the ship dey sleep .

⁶ The captain see am there and tell am say, “Wetin you dey do, you dey sleep? Stand up make you pray to your god for help. Maybe he go help us, save our lives”.

⁷ The men tell themselves say, “make we ask our god make we know who we go blame for putting us for this kind danger.” Dem do as dem talk, and na Jonah name dem see.

⁸ Na so dem tell am say; “Now tell us! who we go blame for this? Wetin you dey do for here? Which country you come from? Who be your people?”

⁹ Jonah tell dem say, “I be Hebrew.” “I dey worship the LORD, the God of heaven, wey make land and sea.”

¹⁰ Jonah tell dem say him dey run away from God. The men con fear and tell am say, “That one na bad thing to do!

¹¹ The wind and the wave of the sea dey become strong and strong, and so the men tell Jonah, “wetin we go do to save ourselves? Wetin we go do you so the sea fit calm down?”

¹² Jonah tell dem say, “Throw me inside sea, and e go calm down. I know say na me make una see this kind strong storms.”

¹³ Instead the Men dey try stop the ship with their strength, but dem no fit, because the wind dey become strong and strong and dem no fit comot for one place.

¹⁴ Na so dem cry to God, “O God, we pray, make you no punish us with death because we take the life of this man! We know say you be God and you dey do wetin you want.”

¹⁵ Na so dem carry Jonah throw am for sea, and the sea calm down once. 16This make the men fear God, dem offer am sacrifice and promise to dey serve am.

¹⁷ And God command big fish make e swallow Jonah, and he dey inside the fish for three days and nights.