1 {1:1} Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the
son of Amittai, saying, {1:2} Arise, go to Nineveh, that
great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come
up before me. {1:3} 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.
{1:4} 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. {1:5} 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. {1:6} 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. {1:7} 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. {1:8} 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? {1:9} 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.]
{1:10} 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.
{1:11} 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. {1:12} 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. {1:13} Nevertheless the men rowed
hard to bring [it] to the land; but they could not: for the sea
wrought, and was tempestuous against them. {1:14}
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. {1:15} So they took up
Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased
from her raging. {1:16} Then the men feared the LORD
exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and
made vows.
{1:17} 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.
2 {2:1} Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of
the fish’s belly, {2:2} 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. {2:3} 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. {2:4} Then I said, I am cast out of thy
sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. {2:5}
The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the
depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped
about my head. {2:6} 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. {2:7} When my soul fainted within me I
remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee,
into thine holy temple. {2:8} They that observe lying
vanities forsake their own mercy. {2:9} But I will sacrifice
unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that]
that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD.
{2:10} And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited
out Jonah upon the dry [land.]
3 {3:1} And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the
second time, saying, {3:2} Arise, go unto Nineveh, that
great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
{3:3} 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. {3:4} 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.
{3:5} 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. {3:6} 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. {3:7} 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:
{3:8} 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.
{3:9} Who can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn
away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
{3:10} 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.
4 {4:1} But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was
very angry. {4:2} 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. {4:3} Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee,
my life from me; for [it is] better for me to die than to live.
{4:4} Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
{4:5} 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. {4:6} 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. {4:7} But God prepared a
worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the
gourd that it withered. {4:8} 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. {4:9} 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. {4:10} 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: {4:11} 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?