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Jonah Chapter 3 (JPS)

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Jonah Chapter 3 – Nineveh's Repentance
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1 And the word of HaShem came unto Jonah the second time, saying:

2 'Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and make unto it the proclamation that I bid thee.'

3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of HaShem. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days' journey.

4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he proclaimed, and said: 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.'

5 And the people of Nineveh believed G-d; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

6 And the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And 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;

8 but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto G-d; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

9 Who knoweth whether G-d will not turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'

10 And G-d saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and G-d repented of the evil, which He said He would do unto them; and He did it not.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Jonah preach when he finally reaches Nineveh?
He proclaims, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (v.4), and remarkably the entire city - "from the greatest of them even to the least" - believes God and proclaims a fast (v.5).
What does the king of Nineveh do in response?
He rises from his throne, removes his robe, covers himself with sackcloth, sits in ashes, and decrees that neither people nor animals should eat or drink, and that everyone should turn from evil and violence (v.6-8).
How does Jonah 3 end?
God "saw their works, that they turned from their evil way," and "repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not" (v.10) - the same principle described more generally in Jeremiah 18:8.

Today's Verse

And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

Mark 1:20 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

The result is immediate and total: from the king on his throne to the least of the people, Nineveh puts on sackcloth and fasts, and "God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way," a pattern discussed in Jeremiah 18:8. Continue to Jonah 4 for Jonah's reaction.