⁵ Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a ^(A)fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, ^(B)covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ^[a]dust. ⁷ And he issued a ^(C)proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. ⁸ But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to ^(D)call on God vehemently, and they are to ^(E)turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. ^9 (F)Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw their deeds, that they ^(G)turned from their evil way, then ^(H)God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would ^[b]bring on them. So He did not do it.