Online Bible: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

1 Then the word of Jehovah occurred to Jo´nah the second time, saying: 2 “Get up, go to Nin´e·veh the great city, and proclaim to her the proclamation that I am speaking to you.”

3 At that, Jo´nah got up and went to Nin´e·veh in accord with the word of Jehovah. Now Nin´e·veh herself proved to be a city great to God, with a walking distance of three days. 4 Finally Jo´nah started to enter into the city the walking distance of one day, and he kept proclaiming and saying: “Only forty days more, and Nin´e·veh will be overthrown.”

5 And the men of Nin´e·veh began to put faith in God, and they proceeded to proclaim a fast and to put on sackcloth, from the greatest one of them even to the least one of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nin´e·veh, then he rose up from his throne and put off his official garment from himself and covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the ashes. 7 Furthermore, he had the cry made, and he had it said in Nin´e·veh, by the decree of the king and his great ones, saying:

“No man and no domestic animal, no herd and no flock, should taste anything at all. None should take food. Even water they should not drink. 8 And let them cover themselves with sackcloth, man and domestic animal; and let them call out to God with strength and come back, each one from his bad way and from the violence that was in their hands. 9 Who is there knowing whether the [true] God may turn back and actually feel regret and turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish?”

10 And the [true] God got to see their works, that they had turned back from their bad way; and so the [true] God felt regret over the calamity that he had spoken of causing to them; and he did not cause [it].