Jonah 1:1-3
English Standard Version
Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord
1 Now the word of the Lord came to (A)Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to (B)Nineveh, that (C)great city, and call out against it, (D)for their evil[a] has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah (E)rose to flee to (F)Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to (G)Joppa and found a ship going to (H)Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to (I)Tarshish, (J)away from the presence of the Lord.
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- Jonah 1:2 The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jonah
Jonah 1:1-3
New International Version
Jonah Flees From the Lord
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah(A) son of Amittai:(B) 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh(C) and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran(D) away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish(E). He went down to Joppa,(F) where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.(G)
Jonah 1:15-17
English Standard Version
15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, (A)and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, (B)and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord (C)and made vows.
A Great Fish Swallows Jonah
17 [a] And the Lord appointed[b] a great fish to swallow up Jonah. (D)And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Jonah 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
- Jonah 1:17 Or had appointed
Jonah 1:15-17
New International Version
15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.(A) 16 At this the men greatly feared(B) the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows(C) to him.
Jonah’s Prayer
17 Now the Lord provided(D) a huge fish to swallow Jonah,(E) and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1-9
English Standard Version
Jonah's Prayer
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,
(A)“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
(B)out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
(C)and you heard my voice.
3 (D)For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
(E)all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
4 (F)Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
(G)yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’
5 (H)The waters closed in over me (I)to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
6 at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
(J)and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
8 (K)Those who pay regard to vain idols
(L)forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 (M)But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
(N)Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
Jonah 2:1-9
New International Version
2 1 [a]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
“In my distress I called(A) to the Lord,(B)
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead(C) I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,(D)
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves(E) and breakers
swept over me.(F)
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;(G)
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’(H)
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,[b]
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.(I)
6 To the roots of the mountains(J) I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.(K)
Jonah 3:9-4:4
English Standard Version
9 (A)Who knows? God may turn and relent (B)and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, (C)how they turned from their evil way, (D)God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion
4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,[a] and (E)he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? (F)That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a (G)gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and (H)relenting from disaster. 3 (I)Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, (J)for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, (K)“Do you do well to be angry?”
Footnotes
- Jonah 4:1 Hebrew it was exceedingly evil to Jonah
Jonah 3:9-4:4
New International Version
9 Who knows?(A) God may yet relent(B) and with compassion turn(C) from his fierce anger(D) so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented(E) and did not bring on them the destruction(F) he had threatened.(G)
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.(H) 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew(I) that you are a gracious(J) and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,(K) a God who relents(L) from sending calamity.(M) 3 Now, Lord, take away my life,(N) for it is better for me to die(O) than to live.”(P)
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”(Q)
Jonah 4:9-11
English Standard Version
9 But God said to Jonah, (A)“Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity (B)Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much (C)cattle?”
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Jonah 4:9-11
New International Version
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”(A)
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern(B) for the great city of Nineveh,(C) in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
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