Jonah 3:1–4:4 (NIV 84)
3:1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city
of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the
word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important
city—a visit required three days.
4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days
and Nineveh will be overturned.”
5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the
greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news 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. 7 Then the king issued a proclamation in
Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or
flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 let man and beast be
covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up
their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with
compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he
had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had
threatened. 4:1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He
prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home?
That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious
and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who
relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is
better for me to die than to live.” 4 But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to
be angry?”