The Ninevites Repent (Matthew 12:38–42; Luke 11:29–32)
1 UST Then Yahweh spoke to Jonah again. This is what Yahweh said: BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
2 UST “Get moving! Go to Nineveh, the large capital city{ of Assyria}, and preach to the people who live there the message that I tell you to preach to them.” BSB BSB: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”
3 UST This time, Jonah got moving and went to Nineveh, just as Yahweh had told him to do. Now Nineveh was an extremely large city. It was so large that a person had to walk for three days{ to go completely through it}. BSB BSB: This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey.
4 UST When Jonah arrived, he began walking through the city for about one day. Then he proclaimed to the people in the city,“Forty days from now, God will destroy Nineveh!” BSB BSB: On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”
5 UST The people of Nineveh believed the message from God{ that Jonah proclaimed}. They decided that everyone should fast and wear coarse cloth on their bodies{ in order to show that they were sorry for the evil things that they had been doing}. So everyone in the city did that, from the most important people to the least important people. BSB BSB: And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
6 UST When the king of Nineveh heard about the message{ that Jonah was preaching}, he got up from his throne. He took off his royal robes, put on coarse cloth instead, and sat down on a heap of cold ashes.{ He did all this to show that he also was sorry for the evil actions that he had been doing.} BSB BSB: When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 UST Then he sent messengers to proclaim to the people in Nineveh:“The king and his officials have decreed that no person or animal may taste any food nor drink any water. Even the cows and the sheep may not graze. BSB BSB: Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink.
8 UST Every person and every{ domestic} animal must wear coarse cloth on their bodies. Everyone must pray fervently to God. Also, everyone must stop doing the evil things that they have been doing and the violent things that they have been doing{ to other people}. BSB BSB: Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.
9 UST If everyone does those things, it is possible that this god will change his mind and be merciful to us. He may relent from being so angry with us, with the result that we will live.” BSB BSB: Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”
10 UST So the people did those things and stopped doing the evil actions that they had been doing. God saw all of this. So God had mercy on them and did not destroy them as he had said he would do.{ Even though he had said that,} he did not do it. BSB BSB: When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.