Jonah 1–2

Jonah Disobeys the

1^*One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. ²He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware how wicked its people are.” ³Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the Lord. ⁴But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. ⁵The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger,^a they threw the cargo^b overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship’s hold, sound asleep.

⁶The captain found him there and said to him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”

⁷The sailors said to one another, “Let’s draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger.” They did so, and Jonah’s name was drawn. ⁸So they said to him: “Now then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?”

⁹“I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.” ¹⁰Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the Lord.

The sailors were terrified, and said to him, “That was an awful thing to do!”^{c 11}The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, “What should we do to you to stop the storm?”

¹²Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”

¹³Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was getting worse and worse, and they got nowhere. ¹⁴So they cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, we pray, don’t punish us with death for taking this man’s life! You, O Lord, are responsible for all this; it is your doing.” ¹⁵Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once. ¹⁶This made the sailors so afraid of the Lord that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.

^17*At the Lord’s command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and nights.

Jonah’s Prayer

2From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

²“In my distress, O Lord, I called to you,

and you answered me.

From deep in the world of the dead

I cried for help, and you heard me.

³You threw me down into the depths,

to the very bottom of the sea,

where the waters were all round me,

and all your mighty waves rolled over me.

⁴I thought I had been banished from your presence

and would never see your holy Temple again.

⁵The water came over me and choked me;

the sea covered me completely,

and seaweed was wrapped round my head.

⁶I went down to the very roots of the mountains,

into the land whose gates lock shut for ever.^d

But you, O Lord my God,

brought me back from the depths alive.

⁷When I felt my life slipping away,

then, O Lord, I prayed to you,

and in your holy Temple you heard me.

⁸Those who worship worthless idols

have abandoned their loyalty to you.

⁹But I will sing praises to you;

I will offer you a sacrifice

and do what I have promised.

Salvation comes from the Lord!”

¹⁰Then the Lord ordered the fish to spew Jonah up on the beach, and it did.