3:5 The people ³  of Nineveh believed in God, ⁴  and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁵  3:6 When the news ⁶  reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes. 3:7 He issued a proclamation and said, ⁷  “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles: No human or animal, cattle or sheep, is to taste anything; they must not eat and they must not drink water. 3:8 Every person and animal must put on sackcloth and must cry earnestly ⁸  to God, and everyone ⁹  must turn from their ¹⁰  evil way of living ¹¹  and from the violence that they do. ¹²  3:9 Who knows? ¹³  Perhaps God might be willing to change his mind and relent ¹⁴  and turn from his fierce anger ¹⁵  so that we might not die.” ¹⁶  3:10 When God saw their actions – they turned ¹⁷  from their evil way of living! ¹⁸  – God relented concerning the judgment ¹⁹  he had threatened them with ²⁰  and he did not destroy them. ²¹