1Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,a2"Arise! Go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it. For their wickedness has come up before Me."b3But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. And he went down to Joppa. There he found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid its fare and went down into it in order to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.c4But the LORD sent out a great wind onto the sea and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.d5Then the sailors were afraid, and every man cried out to his god. Then they cast the cargo that was in the ship into the sea in order to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.e6So the shipmaster came to him and said to him, "What do you mean by this, O sleeper? Arise! Call on your God, if possible your God will be concerned about us so that we not perish."f7And everyone said to his companion, "Come, and let us cast lots so that we may know for whose cause this calamity has come upon us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.g8Then they said to him, "Tell us now for whose cause this calamity has come upon us. What do you do? And from where have you come? What is your country? And from what people are you?"h9Then he said to them, "I am a Hebrew. And I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land."i10Then the men were exceedingly afraid. And they said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD because he had told them.11Then they said to him, "What will we do to you so that the sea may be calm for us?"--for it was becoming increasingly tempestuous.12And he said to them, "Take me up and cast me out into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you. For I know that for my sake this great tempest has come upon you."j13Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring it to the land, but they could not because the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.k14Therefore, they cried out to the LORD and said, "We beseech You, O LORD, we beseech You. Let us not perish for this man's life; and do not lay on us innocent blood, for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You."l15So they took up Jonah and cast him out into the sea. And the sea ceased from its raging.m16Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly. And they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.n17Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.o
a 2 Kg 14:25 b Is 37:37 c Gn 10:11,12 d Gn 18:20 e Ja 19:46 f Is 23:1 g Gn 4:16 h Ps 107:25 i 1 Sm 24:3 j Ps 107:28 k Jl 2:14 l Ja 7:14 m Ja 7:19 n Ne 9:6 o Jn 11:50 p Pv 21:30 q Dt 21:8 r Ps 115:3 s Ps 89:9; 107:29 t At 5:11 u Mt 12:40
Chapter 2
1Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God out of the fish's belly.2And he said, "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction and He heard me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried out and You heard my voice.a3"For You had cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas. And the waters surrounded me. All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.b4"Then I said, 'I am cast out of Your sight. Still I will look again toward Your holy temple.'c5"The waters surrounded me, even to the soul. The deep closed around me and the sea weeds were wrapped around my head.d6"I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever. Still You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.e7"When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD. And my prayer came in to You, into Your holy temple.f8"Those who revere useless idols forsake their faithfulness.g9"But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD."h10Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on dry land.
a Ps 120:1 b Ps 65:2 c Ps 88:6 d Ps 42:7 e Ps 31:22 f 1 Kg 8:38 g Lm 3:54 h Ps 16:10 i Ps 18:6 j Jr 10:8 k Hs 14:2 l Ec 5:4,5 m Ps 3:8 n Jr 3:23
Chapter 3
1Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,2"Arise! Go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."a3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city of three days' journey around it.4Then Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."b5So 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.c6Then word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne and he laid aside his robe. Then he covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.d7And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, "Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them neither feed, nor drink water.8"But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry out mightily to God. Yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.e9"Who can tell if God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we do not perish?"f10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways. Then God relented of the calamity that He had said that He would do to them. And He did not do it.g
a Dt 18:22 b Mt 12:41 c Jb 2:8 d 2 Ch 20:3 e Is 58:6 f Is 59:6 g Jl 2:14 h Jr 18:8
Chapter 4
1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry.2Then he prayed to the LORD and said, "Please O LORD, was this not what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore, I fled before to Tarshish. For I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and One who relents from doing harm.a3"Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live."b4Then the LORD said, "Do you have any right to be angry?"5So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. And there he made for himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade until he might see what would become of the city.6Now the LORD God prepared a gourd and made it to come up over Jonah so that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his grief. Now Jonah was exceedingly glad for the gourd.7But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day. And it smote the gourd so that it withered.8Now it came to pass when the sun arose that God prepared a scorching east wind. And the sun beat on the head of Jonah so that he fainted. And he wished in himself to die. Then he said, "It is better for me to die than to live."c9Then God said to Jonah, "Did you have a right to be angry about the gourd?" And he said, "I have good reason to be angry, even to death."10Then the LORD said, "You had pity on the gourd for which you had not labored, neither did you make it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.11"And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?"d
a Jh 1:3 b Jl 2:13 c 1 Kg 19:4 d Jh 4:8 e Jh 4:3 f Jh 1:2; 3:2,3 g Dt 1:39