1A palavra do SENHOR veio a Jonas pela segunda vez com esta ordem:2“Vá à grande cidade de Nínive e pregue contra ela a mensagem que eu lhe darei”.3Jonas obedeceu à palavra do SENHOR e foi para Nínive. Era uma cidade muito grande[1], sendo necessários três dias para percorrê-la.4Jonas entrou na cidade e a percorreu durante um dia, proclamando: “Daqui a quarenta dias Nínive será destruída”.5Os ninivitas creram em Deus. Proclamaram um jejum, e todos eles, do maior ao menor, vestiram-se de pano de saco.6Quando as notícias chegaram ao rei de Nínive, ele se levantou do trono, tirou o manto real, vestiu-se de pano de saco e sentou-se sobre cinza.7Então fez uma proclamação em Nínive: “Por decreto do rei e de seus nobres: “Não é permitido a nenhum homem ou animal, bois ou ovelhas, provar coisa alguma; não comam nem bebam!8Cubram-se de pano de saco, homens e animais. E todos clamem a Deus com todas as suas forças. Deixem os maus caminhos e a violência.9Talvez Deus se arrependa e abandone a sua ira, e não sejamos destruídos”.10Tendo em vista o que eles fizeram e como abandonaram os seus maus caminhos, Deus se arrependeu e não os destruiu como tinha ameaçado.
1Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” (Jn 1:2)3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,[1] three days’ journey in breadth.[2] (Jn 3:2)4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”5And 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. (2 Sm 3:31; 2 Cr 20:3; Mt 12:41; Lc 11:32)
The People of Nineveh Repent
6The word reached[3] the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. (Jó 1:20; Jó 2:8; Ez 26:16)7And 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, (Sl 36:6; Dn 6:26; Jl 1:18; Jl 1:20; Jn 4:11)8but 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. (Is 59:6; Jr 18:11; Jr 36:3; Jn 3:7)9Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” (2 Sm 12:22; Sl 85:3; Jl 2:14)10When 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. (Jr 18:8)