Jonah 3

1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:

1 耶和华第二次对约拿说：

2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”

2 “你起身前往尼尼微大城，向那里的居民宣告我先前吩咐你的话。”

3 This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey.

3 约拿便照耶和华的吩咐前往尼尼微城。尼尼微城很大，要三天才能走遍。

4 On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”

4 约拿进城走了一天，宣告说：“再过四十天尼尼微就要毁灭了！”

5 And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.

5 尼尼微城的人相信了上帝的话，便宣告禁食，所有的人，无论大小贵贱都披上麻衣。

6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

6 尼尼微王听到这消息后，便走下宝座，脱下王袍，披上麻衣，坐在炉灰中。

7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink.

7 王又向全城颁布通告，说：“王和大臣有令，所有的人都必须禁食，牛羊牲畜都不许吃草也不许喝水。

8 Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.

8 人和牲畜都必须披上麻衣，众人要向上帝恳切呼求，改邪归正，停止作恶。

9 Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”

9 上帝或许会心生怜悯，收回烈怒，使我们不致灭亡，也未可知。”

10 When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.

10 上帝看见他们改邪归正，不再作恶，就心生怜悯，没有像所说的那样毁灭他们。