Jonah 1

Jonah goes the other way

1The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2“Get up and go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it, because their evil has come up before me.” 3Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD’s presence. He went down to Joppa, found a ship bound for Tarshish, paid its fare, and went down aboard to travel with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD’s presence.

The storm

4But the LORD hurled a great wind onto the sea. A great storm rose on the sea, and the ship was on the point of breaking apart. 5The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They hurled the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. Meanwhile Jonah had gone down into the hold, lain down, and fallen fast asleep. 6The captain came to him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and call on your god! Perhaps the god will take notice of us, and we will not perish.” 7The sailors said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who has brought this disaster on us.” They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8They asked him, “Tell us, please, who is responsible for this disaster? What is your work? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people do you belong to?” 9He answered, “I am a Hebrew. I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10The men became terribly afraid and asked, “What have you done?” They knew he was fleeing from the LORD’s presence, because he had told them.

Into the sea

11They asked, “What should we do with you so the sea will calm down for us?” The sea was growing more and more stormy. 12He told them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will calm down for you. I know this great storm has come upon you because of me.” 13Instead, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not. The sea kept growing stormier against them. 14Then they called to the LORD: “Please, LORD, do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood. For you, LORD, have done as you pleased.” 15They picked Jonah up and hurled him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. 16Then the men feared the LORD greatly. They offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. 17The LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.