Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast(A) and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.

When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth,(B) and sat in ashes. Then he issued a decree(C) in Nineveh:

By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God.(D) Each must turn from his evil ways(E) and from his wrongdoing.[a] Who knows?(F) God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.(G)

10 God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways(H)—so God relented from the disaster(I) he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:8 Or injustice, or violence

(A)And the people of Nineveh believed God. (B)They called for a fast and (C)put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

The word reached[a] the king of Nineveh, and (D)he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, (E)and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, (F)“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor (G)beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and (H)beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. (I)Let everyone turn from his evil way and from (J)the violence that is in his hands. (K)Who knows? God may turn and relent (L)and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, (M)how they turned from their evil way, (N)God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:6 Or had reached