... > Bible > Old Testament > the book of Jonah > Jonah in Nineveh (Jonah 3:3-10) > when the king of Nineveh hears about the destruction of the city in forty days, he rises from his throne and decrees a general repentance for man and animal: all men, cattle and sheep must fast, people must wear sackcloth and pray to God > God, seeing the repentance of the people of Nineveh, relents and spares the wicked city