Jonah 3:5-10

Just believe and trust in God’s power that through the Christ He has overcome this world. In His love made manifest, Jesus, came with shouts of peace to people of goodwill!

There is hope for any nation that will confess their sins, repent and CHANGE!

Exhibited trust or faith in God, as evidenced by a change in behavior. Faithlife Bible.

The term used for God here is the general term for deity. The fact that the writer does not use the personal name for God here may suggest that the Ninevites had a short-lived or imperfect understanding of God’s message. History bears this out: We have no historical record of a lasting period of belief in Nineveh. Eventually the city was destroyed, in 612 b.c. NKJ BIble.

Scripture frequently presents the Lord as repenting (or, changing his mind) of the evil that he threatens.  (Genesis 6:6-9. Jeremiah 18:8.) Catholic Bible.

Jonah 3:5-10 Catholic Bible

5 the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,^* put on sackcloth.^a

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh:^* “By decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, no cattle or sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.

8 Man and beast alike must be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; they all must turn from their evil way and from the violence of their hands.

9 Who knows? God may again repent and turn from his blazing wrath, so that we will not perish.”^b

10 When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Jonah 3:5–10 (NKJV) The People of Nineveh Believe

⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

¹⁰ 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.

Joel 2:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ Who knows if He will turn and relent,

And leave a blessing behind Him—

A grain offering and a drink offering

For the Lord your God?

Isaiah 59:6 (NKJV)

⁶ Their webs will not become garments,

Nor will they cover themselves with their works;

Their works are works of iniquity,

And the act of violence is in their hands.