The king too was struck with godly fear. He rose up from his throne, removed his luxurious robes of state, put on the same rough clothing that his people were wearing, and even “sat down in the ashes.” With his “great ones,” or nobles, he issued a decree turning the fast from a spontaneous popular movement into an official action of state. He ordered that all wear sackcloth, even the domestic animals.c He humbly acknowledged that his people were guilty of badness and violence. He also expressed hope that the true God would soften upon seeing their repentance, saying: “God may . . . turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish.”​—Jonah 3:6-9.