The Darby Translation DBY
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
1
Then the LORD spoke his word to Jonah a second time. He said,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I shall bid thee.
2
"Leave at once for the important city, Nineveh. Announce to the people the message I have given you."
3 And Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
3
Jonah immediately went to Nineveh as the LORD told him. Nineveh was a very large city. It took three days to walk through it.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!
4
Jonah entered the city and walked for about a day. Then he said, "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed."
5 And the men of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
5
The people of Nineveh believed God. They decided to fast, and everyone, from the most important to the least important, dressed in sackcloth.
6 And the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
6
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on 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 anything: let them not feed, nor drink water;
7
Then he made this announcement and sent it throughout the city: "This is an order from the king and his nobles: No one is to eat or drink anything. This includes all people, animals, cattle, and sheep.
8 and let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; and let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
8
Every person and animal must put on sackcloth. Cry loudly to God for help. Turn from your wicked ways and your acts of violence.
9 Who knoweth but that God will turn and repent, and will turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
9
Who knows? God may reconsider his plans and turn from his burning anger so that we won't die."
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them, and he did [it] not.
10
God saw what they did. He saw that they turned from their wicked ways. So God reconsidered his threat to destroy them, and he didn't do it.
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GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.