O Arrependimento de Nínive
1A palavra do Senhor veio a Jonas pela segunda vez com esta ordem: 2“Vá à grande cidade de Nínive e pregue contra ela a mensagem que eu lhe darei”.
3Jonas obedeceu à palavra do Senhor e foi para Nínive. Era uma cidade muito grande3.3 Ou cidade importante para Deus, sendo necessários três dias para percorrê-la. 4Jonas entrou na cidade e a percorreu durante um dia, proclamando: “Daqui a quarenta dias Nínive será destruída”. 5Os ninivitas creram em Deus. Proclamaram um jejum, e todos eles, do maior ao menor, vestiram-se de pano de saco.
6Quando as notícias chegaram ao rei de Nínive, ele se levantou do trono, tirou o manto real, vestiu-se de pano de saco e sentou-se sobre cinza. 7Então fez uma proclamação em Nínive:
“Por decreto do rei e de seus nobres:
“Não é permitido a nenhum homem ou animal, bois ou ovelhas, provar coisa alguma; não comam nem bebam! 8Cubram-se de pano de saco, homens e animais. E todos clamem a Deus com todas as suas forças. Deixem os maus caminhos e a violência. 9Talvez Deus se arrependa e abandone a sua ira, e não sejamos destruídos”.
10Tendo em vista o que eles fizeram e como abandonaram os seus maus caminhos, Deus se arrependeu e não os destruiu como tinha ameaçado.
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1A message from the Lord came to Jonah a second time. The Lord said, 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce to its people the message I give you.”
3Jonah obeyed the Lord. He went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. In fact, it took about three days to go through it. 4Jonah began by going one whole day into the city. As he went, he announced, “In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed.” 5The people of Nineveh believed God’s warning. So they decided not to eat any food for a while. And all of them put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. That’s what everyone did, from the least important of them to the most important.
6Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh. He got up from his throne. He took off his royal robes. He also dressed himself in the clothing of sadness. And then he sat down in the dust. 7Here is the message he sent out to the people of Nineveh.
“I and my nobles give this order.
Don’t let people or animals taste anything. That includes your herds and flocks. People and animals must not eat or drink anything. 8Let people and animals alike be covered with the clothing of sadness. All of you must call out to God with all your hearts. Stop doing what is evil. Don’t harm others. 9Who knows? God might take pity on us. He might not be angry with us anymore. Then we won’t die.”
10God saw what they did. He saw that they stopped doing what was evil. So he took pity on them. He didn’t destroy them as he had said he would.
