3 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. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,u “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.v

6 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.w 7 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.x 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone cally urgently on God. Let them give upz their evil waysa and their violence.b 9 Who knows?c God may yet relentd and with compassion turne from his fierce angerf so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relentedg and did not bring on them the destructionh he had threatened.i

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.j 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knewk that you are a graciousl and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,m a God who relentsn from sending calamity.o 3 Now, Lord, take away my life,p for it is better for me to dieq than to live.”r

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”s