Jonah’s Flight

The word of the class="small-caps" >Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:

“Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.”

But the class="small-caps" >Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart.

The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.

The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.”

“Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.

Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the class="small-caps" >Lord’s presence because he had told them.

So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.

He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.”

Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.

So they called out to the class="small-caps" >Lord, “Please, class="small-caps" >Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, class="small-caps" >Lord, have done just as you pleased.”

The men were seized by great fear of the class="small-caps" >Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the class="small-caps" >Lord and made vows.

The class="small-caps" >Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah’s Prayer

Jonah prayed to the class="small-caps" >Lord his God from the belly of the fish:

I called to the class="small-caps" >Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice.

When you threw me into the depths, into the heart of the seas, the current overcame me. All your breakers and your billows swept over me.

And I said, “I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look once more toward your holy temple.”

The water engulfed me up to the neck; the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.

I sank to the foundations of the mountains, the earth’s gates shut behind me forever! Then you raised my life from the Pit, class="small-caps" >Lord my God!

As my life was fading away, I remembered the class="small-caps" >Lord, and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.

Those who cherish worthless idols abandon their faithful love,

but as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation belongs to the class="small-caps" >Lord.

Then the class="small-caps" >Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah’s Preaching

The word of the class="small-caps" >Lord came to Jonah a second time: