1 Jonah is sent again to Ninevah. 5 The repentance of the king of Ninevah.

And the word of the Lord came unto [a]Jonah the second time, saying,

Arise, go unto Nineveh that great city, and preach unto it the preaching which I bid thee.

So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord: now Nineveh was a [b]great and excellent city of three days journey.

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s [c]journey, and he cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

So the people of Nineveh [d]believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them, even to the least of them.

For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

And he proclaimed and said through Nineveh, (by the counsel of the king and his nobles) saying, Let neither man, nor [e]beast, bullock nor sheep taste anything, neither feed nor drink water.

But let man and beast put on sackcloth, and [f]cry mightily unto God: yea, let every man turn from his evil way, and from the wickedness that is in their hands.

[g]Who can tell if God will turn, and repent and turn away from his fierce wrath, that we perish not?

10 And God saw their [h]works that they turned from their evil ways: and [i]God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did it not.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:1 This is a great declaration of God’s mercy, that he receiveth him again, and sendeth him forth as his Prophet, which had before showed so great infirmity.
  2. Jonah 3:3 Read Jonah 1:2.
  3. Jonah 3:4 He went forward one day in the city, and preached, and so he continued till the city was converted.
  4. Jonah 3:5 For he declared that he was a Prophet sent to them from God to denounce his judgments against them.
  5. Jonah 3:7 Not that the dumb beasts had sinned or could repent, but that by their example man might be astonished, considering that for his sin the anger of God hanged over all creatures.
  6. Jonah 3:8 He willed that the men should earnestly call unto God for mercy.
  7. Jonah 3:9 For partly by the threatening of the Prophet, and partly by the motion of his own conscience, he doubted whether God would show them mercy.
  8. Jonah 3:10 That is, the fruits of their repentance, which did proceed of faith, which God had planted by the ministry of his Prophet.
  9. Jonah 3:10 Read Jer. 18:8.

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.”

10 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)