Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise,
go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come
up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of
the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so
he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto
Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty
tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners
were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that
were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down
into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster
came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call
upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And
they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may
know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell
upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause
this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what
is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an
Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea
and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him,
Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of
the LORD, because he had told them.
Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be
calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto
them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm
unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not:
for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they
cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let
us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou,
O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him
forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared
the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
Now 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.
Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I
cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the
belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into
the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all
thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy
sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me
about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were
wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the
earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life
from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I
remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy
temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will
sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have
vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go
unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.
Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah
began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty
days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word
came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his
robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he
caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of
the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock,
taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be
covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every
one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can
tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we
perish not?
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God
repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did
it not.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed
unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I
was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that
thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,
and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee,
my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there
made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what
would become of the city. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it
to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver
him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God
prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the
gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God
prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah,
that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to
die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the
gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the
LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured,
neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than
sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and
their left hand; and also much cattle?