Jonah Sent to Nineveh, Flees to Tarshish
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish, so he paid its fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
The Great Storm
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and the storm was so mighty that the ship was in danger. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, fast asleep. 6 So the ship master came to him and said to him, “What are you doing, sleeping? Get up and call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us so that we won’t perish.”
7 They all said to each other, “Come! Let’s cast lots so that we may know who is responsible for this disaster that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, who is causing this disaster on us? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people do you come?”
9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear God, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were extremely frightened and said to him, “What have you done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Jonah Cast into the Sea and Swallowed
11 Then they said to him, “What should we do with you so that the sea may be calm for us?” For the sea grew more and more stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm has come over you.”
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land, but they could not, for the storm raged more and more against them on the seas. 14 Therefore they cried to the Lord and said, “We beg you, Lord, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t lay on us innocent blood, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.”
15 So they picked Jonah up, and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
17 The Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.