Jonah 1–2
1 The word of the Lord came to aJonah the son of Amittai saying,
2 “Arise, go to aNineveh the great city and bcry against it, for their cwickedness has come up before Me.”
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to aTarshish bfrom the presence of the Lord. So he went down to cJoppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 The aLord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to 1break up.
5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to ahis god, and they bthrew the 1cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it 2for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.
6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, acall on your god. Perhaps your bgod will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us acast lots so we may 1learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the blot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they said to him, “aTell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your boccupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He said to them, “I am a aHebrew, and I bfear the Lord cGod of heaven who dmade the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “1How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was afleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm 1for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.
12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm 1for you, for I know that aon account of me this great storm has come upon you.”
13 However, the men 1rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.
14 Then they called on the aLord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for bYou, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”
15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea astopped its raging.
16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made avows.
17 1And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the astomach of the fish three days and three nights.
1 1Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God afrom the stomach of the fish,
“I acalled out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the 1depth of bSheol;
You heard my voice.
3 “For You had acast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current 1engulfed me.
All Your bbreakers and billows passed over me.
4 “So I said, ‘I have been aexpelled from 1Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again btoward Your holy temple.’
5 “aWater encompassed me to the 1point of death.
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
6 “I adescended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its bbars was around me forever,
But You have cbrought up my life from 1the pit, O Lord my God.
7 “While 1I was afainting away,
I bremembered the Lord,
And my cprayer came to You,
Into dYour holy temple.
8 “Those who aregard 1vain idols
Forsake their faithfulness,
9 But I will asacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will bpay.
cSalvation is from the Lord.”
10 Then the Lord commanded the afish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.