Jonah 3:1–4:3

Jonah’s Preaching

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: v 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh w and preach x the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord’s command.

Now Nineveh was an extremely large city, y z a three-day walk. a 4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, b “In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished!” 5 The men of Nineveh believed in God. c They proclaimed a fast d and dressed in * sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.

6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, e and sat in ashes. 7 Then he issued a decree f in Nineveh:

By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. 8 Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. g Each must turn from his evil ways h and from the violence i he is doing. j 9 Who knows? k God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish. l

10 Then God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways m—so God relented from the disaster n He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.

Jonah’s Anger

4 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. o 2 He prayed to the Lord: p “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. q I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, r slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster. s 3 And now, Lord, please take my life from me, t for it is better for me to die than to live.” u