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Chapter 3

Jonah’s Obedience and the Ninevites’ Repentance. The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you. 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. 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,” the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,[a] put on sackcloth.(A)

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. 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. 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. [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

  1. 3:5 Great and small: the contrast can refer to distinctions of social class (prominent citizens and the poor).
  2. 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. 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.

Pumunta si Jonas sa Nineve

Muling nagsalita ang Panginoon kay Jonas. Sinabi niya, “Pumunta ka agad sa Nineve, ang malaking lungsod, at sabihin mo sa mga taga-roon ang ipinapasabi ko sa iyo.” Pumunta agad si Jonas sa Nineve ayon sa sinabi ng Panginoon. Malaking lungsod ang Nineve; aabutin ng tatlong araw kung ito ay lalakarin.

Pumasok si Jonas sa Nineve. Pagkatapos ng maghapong paglalakad, sinabi niya sa mga taga-roon, “May 40 araw na lamang ang natitira at wawasakin na ang Nineve.”

Naniwala ang mga taga-roon sa pahayag na ito mula sa Dios. Kaya lahat sila, mula sa pinakadakila hanggang sa pinakaaba ay nagsuot ng damit na panluksa[a] at nag-ayuno upang ipakita ang kanilang pagsisisi. Sapagkat nang mapakinggan ng hari ang mensahe ni Jonas, tumayo siya mula sa kanyang trono, inalis ang kanyang balabal, nagsuot ng damit na panluksa at naupo sa lupa upang ipakita ang kanyang pagsisisi. At nagpalabas siya ng isang proklamasyon sa Nineve na nagsasabi, “Ayon sa utos ng hari at ng kanyang mga pinuno, walang sinumang kakain at iinom, kahit ang inyong mga baka, tupa o kambing. Magsuot kayong lahat ng damit na panluksa pati na ang inyong mga hayop, at taimtim na manalangin sa Dios. Talikdan ninyo ang masamang pamumuhay at pagmamalupit. Baka sakaling magbago ang isip ng Dios at mawala ang kanyang galit sa atin at hindi na niya tayo lipulin.”

10 Nakita ng Dios ang kanilang ginawa, kung paano nila tinalikuran ang kanilang masamang pamumuhay. Kaya nagbago ang kanyang isip, at hindi na niya nilipol ang mga taga-Nineve gaya ng kanyang sinabi noon.

Footnotes

  1. 3:5 damit na panluksa: sa Hebreo, sakong damit. Ganito rin sa talatang 6 at 8.