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Jonah goes to Nineveh

3 The Lord spoke to Jonah a second time. 2 He said, ‘Now go to that great city, Nineveh. Tell the people there the message that I will give to you.’

3 Jonah obeyed the Lord and he went to Nineveh.

Nineveh was a very large city. Somebody would need three days to walk all through it.

4 When Jonah arrived in Nineveh, he walked for one day into the city. Then he shouted out to the people, ‘After 40 more days, God will destroy Nineveh.’ [ a ]

5 The people who lived in Nineveh believed God's message. They told everyone that they must not eat any food for several days. Everyone had to wear sackcloth to show that they were sorry. The most important people and the ordinary people all did that.

6 The king of Nineveh heard about God's message. He got up from his throne and he removed his royal clothes. He dressed himself in sackcloth and he sat in ashes on the ground.

7 Then the king sent this message to all the people in Nineveh. He said, ‘This command comes from the king and his officers. No person or any of your animals may eat any food or drink any water. 8 Everyone must wear sackcloth. You must cover all your animals with sackcloth too. Everyone must pray to God with all their strength. You must all stop doing bad and cruel things. 9 Then perhaps God may agree to forgive us. He may decide that he will not be angry with us. Then perhaps we will not all die.’

10 God saw what the people in Nineveh did. He saw that they stopped doing evil things. He had said that he would punish them for their sins. But now he decided that he would not destroy them.

Footnotes

  1. 3:4 Jonah may have said more than these few words when he spoke God's message to the people in Nineveh.

God Calls and Jonah Obeys

3 Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again and said, 2 “Go to that big city Nineveh, and say what I tell you.”

3 So Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. A person had to walk for three days to travel through it.

4 Jonah went to the center of the city and began speaking to the people. He said, “After 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5 The people of Nineveh believed God. They decided to stop eating for a time to think about their sins. They put on special clothes to show they were sorry. All the people in the city did this, from the most important to the least important.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard about this, he left his throne, removed his robe, put on special clothes to show that he was sorry, and sat in ashes. [ a ] 7 The king wrote a special message and sent it throughout the city:

A command from the king and his great rulers:

For a short time no person or animal should eat anything. No herd or flock will be allowed in the fields. Nothing living in Nineveh will eat or drink water. 8 But every person and every animal must be covered with a special cloth to show they are sad. People must cry loudly to God. Everyone must change their life and stop doing bad things. 9 Who knows? Maybe God will stop being angry and change his mind, and we will not be punished.

10 God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil. So God changed his mind and did not do what he planned. He did not punish the people.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:6 sat in ashes People did this to show that they were sad.

3 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord . Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

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.

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.

6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

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:

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

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 unto them; and he did it not.

Nineveh Repents

3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to ( A ) Nineveh, the great city, and ( B ) proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord . Now Nineveh was [ a ] an ( C ) exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he ( D ) cried out and said, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a ( E ) fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, ( F ) covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the [ b ] dust. 7 And he issued a ( G ) proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. 8 But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to ( H ) call on God vehemently, and they are to ( I ) turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 ( J ) Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they ( K ) turned from their evil way, then ( L ) God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would [ c ] bring on them. So He did not do it .

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:3 Lit a great city to God
  2. Jonah 3:6 Or ashes
  3. Jonah 3:10 Lit do to

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah ( A ) a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ( B ) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. ( C )

6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. ( D ) 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ( E ) 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call ( F ) urgently on God. Let them give up ( G ) their evil ways ( H ) and their violence. ( I ) 9 Who knows? ( J ) God may yet relent ( K ) and with compassion turn ( L ) from his fierce anger ( M ) so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented ( N ) and did not bring on them the destruction ( O ) he had threatened. ( P )

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