3:4 約拿進城走了一日，宣告說：「再等四十日，尼尼微必傾覆了！」
3:5 尼尼微人信服上帝，便宣告禁食，從最大的到至小的都穿麻衣（或譯：披上麻布）。
3:6 這信息傳到尼尼微王的耳中，他就下了寶座，脫下朝服，披上麻布，坐在灰中。
3:7 他又使人遍告尼尼微通城，說：「王和大臣有令，人不可嘗甚麼，牲畜、牛羊不可吃草，也不可喝水。
3:8 人與牲畜都當披上麻布；人要切切求告上帝。各人回頭離開所行的惡道，丟棄手中的強暴。
3:9 或者上帝轉意後悔，不發烈怒，使我們不致滅亡，也未可知。」
3:10 於是上帝察看他們的行為，見他們離開惡道，他就後悔，不把所說的災禍降與他們了。
Jonah began to go into the city, going a
day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh
believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of
them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose
from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in
ashes. And he issued a proclamation and
published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let
neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or
drink water, but let man and beast be
covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone
turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn
from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God
relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not
do it.
***********
在這裡看見悔改的力量，因著約拿悔改順服上帝，所以尼尼微城的大大小小都悔改，甚至連人養的牲畜也一同悔改！
這是一幅令上帝喜悅的圖像，因為這樣上帝就不發怒，不叫他們遭受大災難，使他們獲得平安！
可見上帝喜悅人悔改歸向祂並離棄罪惡，這也是上帝在基督裡設立救恩的目的。
