Jonah 3 Comparison: Bible in Basic English vs New Heart English Bible

Jonah 3

¹And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying,

²Up! go to Nineveh, that great town, and give it the word which I have given you.

³So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh as the Lord had said. Now Nineveh was a very great town, three days' journey from end to end.

⁴And Jonah first of all went a day's journey into the town, and crying out said, In forty days destruction will overtake Nineveh.

⁵And the people of Nineveh had belief in God; and a time was fixed for going without food, and they put on haircloth, from the greatest to the least.

⁶And the word came to the king of Nineveh, and he got up from his seat of authority, and took off his robe, and covering himself with haircloth, took his seat in the dust.

⁷And he had it given out in Nineveh, By the order of the king and his great men, no man or beast, herd or flock, is to have a taste of anything; let them have no food or water:

⁸And let man and beast be covered with haircloth, and let them make strong prayers to God: and let everyone be turned from his evil way and the violent acts of their hands.

⁹Who may say that God will not be turned, changing his purpose and turning away from his burning wrath, so that destruction may not overtake us?

¹⁰And God saw what they did, how they were turned from their evil way; and God's purpose was changed as to the evil which he said he would do to them, and he did it not.

Jonah 3

¹The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

²"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I give you."

³So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey across.

⁴Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried out, and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

⁵The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

⁶The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

⁷He made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, "Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;

⁸but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.

⁹Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?"

¹⁰God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he did not do it.