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約拿遵命

耶和華的話再次臨到約拿,說: “起來!到尼尼微大城去,向其中的居民宣告我所吩咐你的話。” 約拿就動身,照耶和華的話往尼尼微去了,這尼尼微是一座極大的城(“是一座極大的城”或譯:“在 神面前是一座大城”),要三天才能走完。

尼尼微人悔改得救

約拿進城,走了一天,就宣告說:“再過四十天,尼尼微就要毀滅了。”

尼尼微人信了(“信了”或譯:“信服”) 神,就宣告禁食,從大到小,都穿上麻衣。 這事傳到尼尼微王那裡,他就起來,離開寶座,脫去王袍,披上麻衣,坐在爐灰中。 他又傳諭全尼尼微,說:“王和大臣有令:‘人、畜、牛、羊,都不准嘗甚麼,不准吃,也不准喝。 不論人畜,都要披上麻衣;各人要懇切呼求 神,悔改,離開惡行,摒棄手中的強暴。 或者 神回心轉意,不發烈怒,使我們不致滅亡。’”

10  神看見他們所作的,就是悔改離開惡行, 神就轉意,不把所說的災禍降在他們身上了。

God Calls and Jonah Obeys

The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Jonah ·again [a second time] and said, “Get up, go to the great city Nineveh [1:2], and ·preach [cry out] to it what I tell you to say.”

So Jonah obeyed the Lord and got up and went to Nineveh. It was a very large city; just to walk ·across it [or through it all] took a person three days. After Jonah had entered the city and walked for one day, he preached to the people, saying, “After forty days, Nineveh will be ·destroyed [overthrown]!”

The people of Nineveh believed God. They ·announced that they would fast [called for/decreed a fast], and they put on ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C to show their sorrow and repentance]. All the people in the city did this, from the ·most important to the least important [L greatest to the least].

When the king of Nineveh heard this news, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, and covered himself with ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] and sat in ashes [C to show sorrow and repentance].

He ·sent this announcement [issued a proclamation] through Nineveh:

By ·command [the decree] of the king and his ·important men [nobles]: No person or animal, herd or flock, will be allowed to taste anything. Do not let them eat food or drink water. But every person and animal should be covered with ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth], and people should ·cry loudly [pray earnestly] to God. Everyone must turn away from evil living and stop doing ·harm [violence] all the time. Who knows? Maybe God will ·change his mind [relent]. Maybe he will ·stop being angry [turn from his fierce anger], and then we will not ·die [perish].

10 When God saw what the people did, that they stopped doing evil, he ·changed his mind [relented] and did not carry out the ·destruction [disaster; punishment] he had threatened.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

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

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. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,(B) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.(C)

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) 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) 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) 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)