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Nineveh Repents

Now the word of Adonai came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Rise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out to it the proclamation that I am telling you.”

So Jonah rose and went to Nineveh according to the word of Adonai. Now Nineveh was a great city to God—the length of a three day journey. So Jonah began to come into the city for one day’s journey, and he cried out saying: “Another forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!”

Then the people of Nineveh believed God and called for a fast and wore sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. He made a proclamation saying:

“In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, herd or flock, may taste anything. They must not graze nor drink water. But cover man and beast with sackcloth. Let them cry out to God with urgency. Let each one turn from his evil way and from the violence in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent, and turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds—that they turned from their wicked ways—God relented from the calamity that He said He would do to them, and did not do it.

Jonás obedece al Señor

La palabra del Señor vino por segunda vez a Jonás: «Anda, ve a la gran ciudad de Nínive y proclámale el mensaje que te voy a dar».

Jonás se fue hacia Nínive, conforme al mandato del Señor. Ahora bien, Nínive era una ciudad grande y de mucha importancia.[a] Jonás se fue internando en la ciudad, y la recorrió todo un día, mientras proclamaba: «¡Dentro de cuarenta días, Nínive será destruida!» Y los ninivitas creyeron a Dios, proclamaron ayuno y, desde el mayor hasta el menor, se vistieron de luto en señal de arrepentimiento.

Cuando el rey de Nínive se enteró del mensaje, se levantó de su trono, se quitó su manto real, hizo duelo y se cubrió de ceniza. Luego mandó que se pregonara en Nínive:

«Por decreto del rey y de su corte:

»Ninguna persona o animal, ni ganado lanar o vacuno, probará alimento alguno, ni tampoco pastará ni beberá agua. Al contrario, el rey ordena que toda persona, junto con sus animales, haga duelo y clame a Dios con todas sus fuerzas. Ordena así mismo que cada uno se convierta de su mal camino y de sus hechos violentos. ¡Quién sabe! Tal vez Dios cambie de parecer, y aplaque el ardor de su ira, y no perezcamos».

10 Al ver Dios lo que hicieron, es decir, que se habían convertido de su mal camino, cambió de parecer y no llevó a cabo la destrucción que les había anunciado.

Footnotes

  1. 3:3 grande y de mucha importancia. Lit. grande para Dios, viaje de tres días.

The People of Nineveh Repent at Jonah’s Proclamation

And the word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up! Go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the message that I am telling you.” So Jonah got up[a] and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an extraordinarily great city[b]—a journey of three days across.[c] And Jonah began to go into the city a journey of one day, and he cried out and said, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be demolished!”[d] And the people of Nineveh believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least important.[e]

The King’s Proclamation

And the news reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne and removed his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. And he had a proclamation made, and said,

“In Nineveh, by a decree of the king and his nobles:

“No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything! They must not eat, and they must not drink water! And the human beings and the animals must be covered with sackcloth! And they must call forcefully to God, and each must turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his[f] hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn from his blazing anger[g] so that[h] we will not perish.”

10 And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil ways—and God changed his mind about the evil that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.[i]

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:3 Or “set out”
  2. Jonah 3:3 Literally “a great city to God” or “a great city to the gods,” a disputed phrase which may refer to God’s estimate or ownership of Nineveh, to the presence of many idols, or an idiom referring to the size of Nineveh (this translation takes the last view)
  3. Jonah 3:3 This phrase may also refer to a journey on which business was done, so that “three days” is the total elapsed time
  4. Jonah 3:4 Or “overthrown”
  5. Jonah 3:5 Literally “to the smallest of them”
  6. Jonah 3:8 Hebrew “their”
  7. Jonah 3:9 Literally “from the heat of his anger”
  8. Jonah 3:9 Hebrew “and”
  9. Jonah 3:10 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation