6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth,r and sat in ashes. 7 Then he issued a decrees in Nineveh:

By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. 8 Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God.t Each must turn from his evil waysu and from his wrongdoing.C 9 Who knows?v God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.w

10 God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil waysx—so God relented from the disastery he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.