The People of Israel Confess Their Sin

9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of ^(A)this month the people of Israel were assembled ^(B)with fasting ^(C)and in sackcloth, ^(D)and with earth on their heads.

² So Ezra the priest ^(A)brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, ^(B)on the first day of the seventh month.

²³ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

⁶ Then Joshua ^(A)tore his clothes and ^(B)fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put ^(C)dust on their heads.

² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, ^(A)the Holy Spirit said, ^(B)“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul ^(C)for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and ^(D)praying they laid their hands on them and ^(E)sent them off.

The Death of Eli

¹² A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, ^(A)with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.

^5 (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

⁶ 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. ⁷ 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, ⁸ 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.

A Call to Repentance