Jonah 3
New Catholic Bible
An Unforeseen Success
Chapter 3
1 The word of the Lord then came to Jonah for a second time: 2 “Set out for the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”[a] 3 Therefore, Jonah set out and journeyed to Nineveh in obedience to the command of the Lord.
Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city; it required three days simply to walk across it. 4 Jonah began his journey into the city, walking for an entire day. Then he proclaimed, “After forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The people of Nineveh believed this message from God. They proclaimed a fast, and everyone, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 Then he had this proclamation delivered throughout Nineveh: “Neither man nor beast, neither herd nor flock, is to eat anything. Do not allow them to eat or drink. 8 Every man and beast is to be covered with sackcloth. Let all cry out with fervor to God, and let them turn from their evil ways and their violent behavior. 9 Who knows? Perhaps God may change his mind and relent, and his fierce anger may abate, so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw by their actions that they had turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not inflict upon them the punishment that he had threatened.
Footnotes
- Jonah 3:2 Nineveh is described as a city of very unlikely size. The story required that this very pagan city be immense.
Jonah 3
New King James Version
Jonah Preaches at Nineveh
3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, [a]a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then (A)he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
The People of Nineveh Believe
5 So the (B)people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth (C)and sat in ashes. 7 (D)And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his [b]nobles, saying,
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, (E)let every one turn from his evil way and from (F)the violence that is in his hands. 9 (G)Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
10 (H)Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
