Jonah 3

New International Version

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.”

³Jonah 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. ⁴Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,^(B) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.^(C)

⁶When 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) ⁷This 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) ⁸But 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) ⁹Who knows?^(J) God may yet relent^(K) and with compassion turn^(L) from his fierce anger^(M) so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰When 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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Psalm 51:11-18

New International Version

¹¹Do not cast me^(A) from your presence^(B)
or take your Holy Spirit^(C) from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation^(D)
and grant me a willing spirit,^(E) to sustain me.^(F)

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,^(G)
    so that sinners^(H) will turn back to you.^(I)
¹⁴Deliver me^(J) from the guilt of bloodshed,^(K) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,^(L)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.^(M)
¹⁵Open my lips, Lord,^(N)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice,^(O) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷My sacrifice,^(P) O God, is^[a] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart^(Q)
    you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸May it please you to prosper Zion,^(R)
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.^(S)

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Footnotes

Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are

Luke 11:29-32

New International Version

The Sign of Jonah^(A)

²⁹As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,^(B) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.^(C) ³⁰For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;^(D) and now something greater than Solomon is here. ³²The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;^(E) and now something greater than Jonah is here.