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Conversione di Ninive e perdono divino

Fu rivolta a Giona una seconda volta questa parola del Signore: «Alzati, và a Ninive la grande città e annunzia loro quanto ti dirò». Giona si alzò e andò a Ninive secondo la parola del Signore. Ninive era una città molto grande, di tre giornate di cammino. Giona cominciò a percorrere la città, per un giorno di cammino e predicava: «Ancora quaranta giorni e Ninive sarà distrutta». I cittadini di Ninive credettero a Dio e bandirono un digiuno, vestirono il sacco, dal più grande al più piccolo. Giunta la notizia fino al re di Ninive, egli si alzò dal trono, si tolse il manto, si coprì di sacco e si mise a sedere sulla cenere. Poi fu proclamato in Ninive questo decreto, per ordine del re e dei suoi grandi: «Uomini e animali, grandi e piccoli, non gustino nulla, non pascolino, non bevano acqua. Uomini e bestie si coprano di sacco e si invochi Dio con tutte le forze; ognuno si converta dalla sua condotta malvagia e dalla violenza che è nelle sue mani. Chi sa che Dio non cambi, si impietosisca, deponga il suo ardente sdegno sì che noi non moriamo?». 10 Dio vide le loro opere, che cioè si erano convertiti dalla loro condotta malvagia, e Dio si impietosì riguardo al male che aveva minacciato di fare loro e non lo fece.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to (A)Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now (B)Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,[a] three days' journey in breadth.[b] Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (C)And the people of Nineveh believed God. (D)They called for a fast and (E)put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

The word reached[c] the king of Nineveh, and (F)he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, (G)and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, (H)“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor (I)beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and (J)beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. (K)Let everyone turn from his evil way and from (L)the violence that is in his hands. (M)Who knows? God may turn and relent (N)and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, (O)how they turned from their evil way, (P)God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:3 Hebrew a great city to God
  2. Jonah 3:3 Or a visit was a three days' journey
  3. Jonah 3:6 Or had reached

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

Jonah Preaches at Nineveh

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, [a]a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then (A)he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

The People of Nineveh Believe

So the (B)people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth (C)and sat in ashes. (D)And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his [b]nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, (E)let every one turn from his evil way and from (F)the violence that is in his hands. (G)Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

10 (H)Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:3 Exact meaning unknown
  2. Jonah 3:7 Lit. great ones