The first reading is a reading from the book of the prophet Jonah.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, set out for the great city of Nineveh and announced to it the message that I will tell you.

So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord's bidding.

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city,

and it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone

but a single day announcing, a single day's walk announcing, 40 days more in Nineveh will be destroyed.

When the people of Nineveh believe God, they proclaimed to fast and all of them, great and small,

put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,

covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the ashes.

Then he had this proclaimed throughout

Nineveh. By decree of the king and of his nobles, neither man nor beasts, neither cattle nor sheep,

shall taste anything. They shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beasts shall be

covered with sackcloth and call out loudly to God.

Every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand.

Who knows? God may relent and forgive and withhold the blaze his blazing wrath so that we shall not

perish. When God saw by their actions how they turned away from their evil way,

he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them. He did not carry it out. The word of the

Lord. Thanks be to God. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. A heart contrite and humbled,

O God, you will not spurn. Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness, in the greatness of your

compassion, wipe out my offense. Thurly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me a heart contrite and humbled

oh god you will not spurn a clean heart create for me o god and a steadfast spirit renew within me cast me not out from your

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