Jonah Does Not Obey the Lord
1 The Word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Get up and go to the large city of Nineveh, and preach against it. For their sin has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord going toward Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship which was going to Tarshish. Jonah paid money, and got on the ship to go with them, to get away from the Lord.
4 Then the Lord sent a powerful wind upon the sea, and there was such a big storm that the ship was about to break up. 5 The sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the things that were in the ship into the sea so that it would not be so heavy. But Jonah had gone below in the ship and had lain down and fallen asleep. 6 So the captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god. It may be that your god will care about us, and we will not die.” 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us draw names so we can find out who is to blame for this trouble.” So they drew names, and Jonah’s name was drawn. 8 Then they said to him, “Now tell us! Who is to blame for this? What is your work? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord God of heaven Who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were filled with fear and said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was running away from the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you to make the sea quiet down for us?” For the storm was getting worse. 12 Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will quiet down for you. For I know that this bad storm has come upon you because of me.” 13 The men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the wind was blowing even worse against them. 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, “We beg You, O Lord, do not let us die for what this man has done. And do not let us become guilty for killing someone who is not to blame. For You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”
15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the storm stopped. 16 Then the men feared the Lord very much. They gave a gift in worship to the Lord and made promises to Him.
17 The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and he was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.