7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither ^dman nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them ^ecall out mightily to God. Let everyone ^fturn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 ^gWho knows? ^hGod may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”