¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him.

¹ In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.

¹ On that night the king couldn't sleep; and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king.

⁴ You hold my eyelids open. I am so troubled that I can't speak.

¹⁶ David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.

¹⁷ The elders of his house arose, [and stood] beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

²² The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you.

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

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

⁵ The 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.

⁶ The 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.

⁷ He 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;

⁸ but 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.

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

⁴ Who lie on beds of ivory, And stretch themselves on their couches, And eat the lambs out of the flock, And the calves out of the midst of the stall;

⁵ Who strum on the strings of a harp; Who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David;

⁶ Who drink wine in bowls, And anoint themselves with the best oils; But they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

⁸ The mirth of tambourines ceases, the noise of those who rejoice ends, the joy of the harp ceases.

⁹ They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to those who drink it.

⁸ I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men--musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

² On the willows in the midst of it, We hung up our harps.

¹² They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.

²⁷ It happened, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

²⁴ Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace.