¹ The word of Yahweh was addressed to Jonah a second time.

² 'Up!' he said, 'Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to it as I shall tell you.'

³ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare; to cross it took three days.

⁴ Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city and then proclaimed, 'Only forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown.'

⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least.

⁶ When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes.

⁷ He then had it proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles, as follows: 'No person or animal, herd or flock, may eat anything; they may not graze, they may not drink any water.

⁸ All must put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil ways and violent behaviour.

⁹ Who knows? Perhaps God will change his mind and relent and renounce his burning wrath, so that we shall not perish.'

¹⁰ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil ways. And God relented about the disaster which he had threatened to bring on them, and did not bring it.