Jonah 3
1 Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the second time, saying,
Then the Lord spoke to Jonah for a second time.
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you.”
“Go immediately to the great city of Nineveh and announce the message I'm giving you.”
3 So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to Yahweh’s word. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across.
Jonah did what God told him. He set out and went to Nineveh, a city that was so big it took three days to walk through it.
4 Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”
Jonah went into the city, walking for one day, shouting out, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”
5 The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.
The people of Nineveh believed in God. They announced a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
When the news of what was happening reached the king of Nineveh he came down from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 He made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
Then the king and the nobles issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh: “No person, no animal, no herd, and no flock, shall eat or drink anything.
8 but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
Every person and every animal is to wear sackcloth. Everyone is to pray sincerely to God, give up the evil things they do, and stop using violence.
9 Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?”
Who knows? God may change his mind and relent. He may decide not to destroy us in his fierce anger.”
10 God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.
God saw what they had done—that they had given up their evil ways—so he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
