Study Desk

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah^(a) a second time:

"Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.

Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city, proclaiming,^(b) "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown."

The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.^(c)

When Jonah's warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.^(d)

This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.^(e)

But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call^(f) urgently on God. Let them give up^(g) their evil ways^(h) and their violence.⁽ⁱ⁾

Who knows?^(j) God may yet relent^(k) and with compassion turn^(l) from his fierce anger^(m) so that we will not perish."

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented⁽ⁿ⁾ and did not bring on them the destruction^(o) he had threatened.^(p)