Jonah’s Second Chance

¹The word of YHWH came to Jonah a second time, saying,

²“Arise, go to the massive city of Nineveh, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”

³So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of YHWH. Now Nineveh was a massive city, three days’ journey across.

⁴Jonah went a day’s journey into the city, and he proclaimed, “In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”

⁵The people of Nineveh believed God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from their most massive to their tiniest.

⁶When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

⁷He proclaimed and said, “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 water.

⁸But let them be covered with sackcloth, both people and animals, and let them call out urgently to God. Let them turn away from their evil way and from the violence in their hands.

⁹Who knows? God may turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰When God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, God relented from the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.