Jonah’s Flight

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:^{(A) 2} “Get up!^(B) Go to the great city^(C) of Nineveh^(D) and preach against it^(E) because their evil^(F) has come up before me.”^{(G) 3} Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish^(H) from the Lord’s presence.^(I) He went down^(J) to Joppa^(K) and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.

⁴ But the Lord threw^(L) a great wind onto the sea,^(M) and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. ⁵ The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god.^(N) They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load.^(O) Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.^(P)

⁶ The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god.^[a](Q) Maybe this god will consider us,^(R) and we won’t perish.”

⁷ “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots.^(S) Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.^{(T) 8} Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.^(U) What is your business,^(V) and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

⁹ He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew.^(W) I worship^[b] the Lord,^(X) the God of the heavens,^(Y) who made the sea^(Z) and the dry land.”

¹⁰ Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence^(AA) because he had told them. ¹¹ So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.

¹² He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame^(AB) for this great storm that is against you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.

¹⁴ So they called out to the Lord,^(AC) “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.”^{(AD) 15} Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.^{(AE) 16} The men were seized by great fear of the Lord,^(AF) and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.^(AG)

¹⁷ The Lord appointed a great fish^(AH) to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.^(AI)

Jonah’s Prayer

2 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish:^(AJ)

¹⁰ Then the Lord commanded the fish,^(BJ) and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah’s Preaching

3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:^{(BK) 2} “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh^(BL) and preach^(BM) the message that I tell you.” ³ Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord’s command.

Now Nineveh was an extremely great city,^[h](BN) a three-day walk. ⁴ Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed,^(BO) “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!” ⁵ Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast^(BP) and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.

⁶ When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth,^(BQ) and sat in ashes. ⁷ Then he issued a decree^(BR) in Nineveh:

By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. ⁸ Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God.^(BS) Each must turn from his evil ways^(BT) and from his wrongdoing.^{[i] 9} Who knows?^(BU) God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.^(BV)

¹⁰ God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways^(BW)—so God relented from the disaster^(BX) he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.

Jonah’s Anger

4 Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious.^{(BY) 2} He prayed to the Lord,^(BZ) “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place.^(CA) I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God,^(CB) slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.^{(CC) 3} And now, Lord, take my life from me,^(CD) for it is better for me to die than to live.”^(CE)

⁴ The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ Jonah left the city and found a place east of it.^(CF) He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble.^[j] Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. ⁷ When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.^(CG)

⁸ As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind.^(CH) The sun beat down on Jonah’s head^(CI) so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”^(CJ)

⁹ Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!”

⁴ An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of^[a] Jonah.”^(A) Then he left them and went away.