Jonah 3:1-4:4

New American Standard Bible

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.

Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked

4 But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became ^(M)angry. ² Then he ^(N)prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was this not ^[d]what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore in anticipation of this I ^(O)fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a ^(P)gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One who relents of disaster. ³ So now, Lord, please ^(Q)take my ^[e]life from me, for death is ^(R)better to me than life.” ⁴ But the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”