< Jonah 3 >
1 And the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
耶和華的話二次臨到約拿說:
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the preaching that I bid thee.
「你起來!往尼尼微大城去,向其中的居民宣告我所吩咐你的話。」
3 So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
約拿便照耶和華的話起來,往尼尼微去。這尼尼微是極大的城,有三日的路程。
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
約拿進城走了一日,宣告說:「再等四十日,尼尼微必傾覆了!」
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
尼尼微人信服上帝,便宣告禁食,從最大的到至小的都穿麻衣。
6 For word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered [himself] with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
這信息傳到尼尼微王的耳中,他就下了寶座,脫下朝服,披上麻布,坐在灰中。
7 And he caused [it] to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
他又使人遍告尼尼微通城,說:「王和大臣有令,人不可嘗甚麼,牲畜、牛羊不可吃草,也不可喝水。
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God: yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that [is] in their hands.
人與牲畜都當披上麻布;人要切切求告上帝。各人回頭離開所行的惡道,丟棄手中的強暴。
9 Who can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
或者上帝轉意後悔,不發烈怒,使我們不致滅亡,也未可知。」
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do to them; and he did [it] not.
於是上帝察看他們的行為,見他們離開惡道,他就後悔,不把所說的災禍降與他們了。