Jonah 3

Modern English Version

Jonah Preaches at Nineveh

3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ² “Get up, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”

³ So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three-day journey across. ⁴ Jonah began to enter the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “In forty days’ time, Nineveh will be overthrown!” ⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast. And everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

⁶ When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷ Then he made a proclamation in Nineveh:

“By decree of the king and his nobles:

No man or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not eat or drink water. ⁸ Both man and animals shall cover themselves with sackcloth and cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. ⁹ Who knows? God may relent and change His mind. He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw their actions, that they turned from their evil ways, He changed His mind about the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.