Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to ^aNineveh the great city and ^bproclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was ¹an ^aexceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he ^acried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a ^afast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, ^acovered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ¹ashes. 7 He issued a ^aproclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let ¹men ^acall on God earnestly that each may ^bturn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in ²his hands. 9 ^aWho knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they ^aturned from their wicked way, then ^bGod relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would ¹bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to ^aNineveh, the great city, and ^bproclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was ¹an ^aexceedingly large city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he ^acried out and said, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a ^afast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, ^acovered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ¹dust. 7 And he issued a ^aproclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. 8 But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to ^acall on God vehemently, and they are to ^bturn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 ^aWho knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they ^aturned from their evil way, then ^bGod relented of the disaster which He had declared He would ¹bring on them. So He did not do it.