1And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 3So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.3.3 exceeding: Heb. of God 4And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5¶ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 6For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:3.7 published: Heb. said3.7 nobles: Heb. great men 8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10¶ And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
1耶和華第二次對約拿說： 2「你起身前往尼尼微大城，向那裡的居民宣告我先前吩咐你的話。」 3約拿便照耶和華的吩咐前往尼尼微城。尼尼微城很大，要三天才能走遍。 4約拿進城走了一天，宣告說：「再過四十天尼尼微就要毀滅了！」 5尼尼微城的人相信了上帝的話，便宣告禁食，所有的人，無論大小貴賤都換上麻衣。 6尼尼微王聽到這消息後，便走下寶座，脫下王袍，披上麻衣，坐在爐灰中。 7王又向全城頒佈命令，說：「王和大臣有令，所有的人都必須禁食，牛羊牲畜都不許吃草也不許喝水。 8人和牲畜都必須披上麻衣，眾人要向上帝懇切呼求，改邪歸正，停止作惡。 9上帝或許會施憐憫，收回烈怒，使我們不致滅亡，也未可知。」 10上帝看見他們改邪歸正，不再作惡，就憐憫他們，沒有像所說的那樣毀滅他們。
