Jon 3 | LSB | STEP | Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying,

Jonah 3

Ninevites Turn from Their Evil Ways

1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out to it this very call which I am going to speak to you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was ^{▼▼Lit a great city to God}an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go into the city, one day’s walk; and he called out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

5 And the ^{▼▼Lit men}people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, laid aside his mantle from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ^{▼▼Or dust}ashes. 7 And he cried out and said,

“In Nineveh by the ^{▼▼Lit taste, cf. 3:7b}decree of the king and his nobles ^{▼▼Lit saying}: Do not let man, ^{▼▼Lit beast, cattle}animal, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat, and do not let them drink water. 8 But both man and ^{▼▼Lit beast, cattle}animal must be covered with sackcloth; and let ^{▼▼Lit them}men call on God with their strength that each may turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in ^{▼▼Lit their}his hands. 9 Who knows, God may turn and relent and turn away from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, so God ^{▼▼Or regretted, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 35}relented concerning the evil which He had spoken He would ^{▼▼Lit do}bring upon them. And He did not ^{▼▼Lit do}bring it upon them.