約拿書 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
3 耶和華第二次對約拿說： 2 「你起身前往尼尼微大城，向那裡的居民宣告我先前吩咐你的話。」 3 約拿便照耶和華的吩咐前往尼尼微城。尼尼微城很大，要三天才能走遍。 4 約拿進城走了一天，宣告說：「再過四十天尼尼微就要毀滅了！」 5 尼尼微城的人相信了上帝的話，便宣告禁食，所有的人，無論大小貴賤都換上麻衣。 6 尼尼微王聽到這消息後，便走下寶座，脫下王袍，披上麻衣，坐在爐灰中。 7 王又向全城頒佈命令，說：「王和大臣有令，所有的人都必須禁食，牛羊牲畜都不許吃草也不許喝水。 8 人和牲畜都必須披上麻衣，眾人要向上帝懇切呼求，改邪歸正，停止作惡。 9 上帝或許會施憐憫，收回烈怒，使我們不致滅亡，也未可知。」 10 上帝看見他們改邪歸正，不再作惡，就憐憫他們，沒有像所說的那樣毀滅他們。
Jonah 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 3
Jonah’s Obedience and the Ninevites’ Repentance. 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you. 3 So Jonah set out for Nineveh, in accord with the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an awesomely great city; it took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah began his journey through the city, and when he had gone only a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” 5 the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,[a] put on sackcloth.(A)
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh:[b] “By decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, no cattle or sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. 8 Man and beast alike must be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; they all must turn from their evil way and from the violence of their hands. 9 [c]Who knows? God may again repent and turn from his blazing wrath, so that we will not perish.”(B) 10 When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.
Footnotes
- 3:5 Great and small: the contrast can refer to distinctions of social class (prominent citizens and the poor).
- 3:7–8 Fasting and wearing sackcloth are signs of human repentance; here they are legislated even for the animals—a humorous touch, perhaps anticipating 4:11.
- 3:9–10 Scripture frequently presents the Lord as repenting (or, changing his mind) of the evil that he threatens; e.g., Gn 6:6–7; Jer 18:8.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.