1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. 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 cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 ¶ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he 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 man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 ¶ And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Ninives atgriešanās
1 Tad Kungs runāja uz Jonu otrreiz: 2 “Celies, ej uz lielo pilsētu Ninivi un sludini tai, ko es tev teikšu!” 3 Un Jona cēlās un gāja uz Ninivi, kā Kungs bija tam licis. Bet Ninive bija Dievam liela pilsēta – cauri tai jāiet trīs dienas. 4 Jona nostaigāja pa pilsētu vienas dienas gājumu un sauca: “Vēl četrdesmit dienas, tad Ninive tiks sagāzta!”
5 Ninives ļaudis noticēja Dievam, pasludināja gavēni un visi ieģērbās maisos – no lielākā līdz mazākajam. 6 Kad Ninives ķēniņam pienāca vēsts, tas cēlās no troņa, novilka savu tērpu, ietērpās maisā, apsēdās pelnos 7 un lika, lai Ninivē sludina: “Tāda ir ķēniņa un viņa vareno griba: lai ne cilvēks, ne lops, ne vērsis, ne avs neko nebauda, lai ne ganās, ne dzer ūdeni, 8 lai sedzas ar maisu gan cilvēks, gan lops un gauži sauc uz Dievu. Ikviens lai atstājas no saviem ļaunajiem darbiem un varmācības, ko tas paradis darīt, – 9 kas zina, ja nu Dievs vēl mitējas, varbūt viņš vēl apdomāsies un atstāsies no savas dusmu kvēles, ka neejam bojā!” 10 Kad Dievs redzēja viņus tā darām, ka tie atgriezušies no saviem ļaunajiem ceļiem, tad Dievs atstājās no visa ļauna, ko bija teicies tiem darīt, un to nedarīja.
