Old/New Testament

Recalcitrant Prophet^[a]

Chapter 1

¹ The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai: ² “Go immediately to the great city of Nineveh and denounce it, for their wickedness has revealed itself to me.” ³ But Jonah decided to run away from the Lord and flee to Tarshish.^[b] He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship that was about to sail to Tarshish. He paid his fare and boarded the ship to journey with the sailors to Tarshish, and away from the presence of the Lord.

⁴ However, the Lord caused a violent wind to stir up the sea, and such a furious storm arose that the ship seemed to be on the verge of breaking up. ⁵ The sailors were terror-stricken, and each of them cried out to his god. They also lightened the weight of the ship by throwing the cargo overboard.

Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship and was lying there fast asleep. ⁶ The captain found him there and said, “What are you doing there, sound asleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps he will take pity on us and not allow us to perish.”

⁷ The sailors then said to each other, “Let us cast lots so that we can discover who is to blame for bringing us this bad luck.” Therefore, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?” ⁹ Jonah replied, “I am a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

¹⁰ On hearing this, the sailors were even more terrified, and they said to him, “How could you have done this to us?” For they knew that he was fleeing from the Lord because he had told them so. ¹¹ Then they said, “What shall we do with you to make the sea calm down for us?” For the sea was becoming increasingly more turbulent. ¹² Jonah replied, “Pick me up and throw me overboard. Then the sea will calm down for you. I know it is my fault that this great storm has struck you.”

¹³ Even so, the sailors rowed with all their might to reach the shore, but they were unable to do so inasmuch as the sea was becoming increasingly turbulent. ¹⁴ Finally they cried out to the Lord, “Do not allow us to perish, Lord, for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us responsible for causing the death of an innocent man. For you yourself, O Lord, have brought this all about.” ¹⁵ Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the raging of the sea subsided. ¹⁶ On witnessing this, the men were seized by a great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

Chapter 2

¹ Then the Lord ordained that a large fish would swallow Jonah and he remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

Prayer of Deliverance^[c]

² Then from the belly of the fish Jonah offered this prayer to the Lord, his God:

¹¹ Then, in response to a command from the Lord, the fish spewed Jonah out upon the land.

An Unforeseen Success

Chapter 3

¹ The word of the Lord then came to Jonah for a second time: ² “Set out for the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”^{[d] 3} Therefore, Jonah set out and journeyed to Nineveh in obedience to the command of the Lord.

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city; it required three days simply to walk across it. ⁴ Jonah began his journey into the city, walking for an entire day. Then he proclaimed, “After forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵ The people of Nineveh believed this message from God. They proclaimed a fast, and everyone, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

⁶ When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. ⁷ Then he had this proclamation delivered throughout Nineveh: “Neither man nor beast, neither herd nor flock, is to eat anything. Do not allow them to eat or drink. ⁸ Every man and beast is to be covered with sackcloth. Let all cry out with fervor to God, and let them turn from their evil ways and their violent behavior. ⁹ Who knows? Perhaps God may change his mind and relent, and his fierce anger may abate, so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw by their actions that they had turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not inflict upon them the punishment that he had threatened.

Chapter 4

Jonah’s Anger; God’s Reproof. ¹ This decision greatly displeased Jonah, and he became very angry. ² Praying to the Lord, he said, “Lord, isn’t this exactly what I predicted when I was still in my own country? That is why in the beginning I fled to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, who is slow to anger, abounding in mercy, and ready to relent from inflicting punishment. ³ Therefore, Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴ The Lord replied, “Do you have any right to be angry?”

⁵ Then Jonah left Nineveh and walked to the east of the city. After making a booth for himself there, he sat under it in the shade while he waited to see what would happen to the city.

The Last Lesson

⁶ The Lord God then ordained that a gourd plant should grow up above Jonah to cast shade over his head and relieve his discomfort. Jonah was very happy about this plant.

⁷ But at dawn the next day, God ordained that a worm should infest the gourd plant, and it withered. ⁸ Then, when the sun rose, God ordained that a scorching wind should blow from the east. The sun beat down on the head of Jonah to such an extent that he grew faint. Then he begged that he might die, saying, “I would be better off dead than alive.”

⁹ God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” Jonah replied, “I have every reason to be angry, angry enough to die.”

¹⁰ The Lord then said, “You are concerned about the plant, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow. It came into being in one night, and it perished in one night. ¹¹ Therefore, why should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot tell their right hand from their left, as well as innumerable cattle?”

Chapter 10

A Small Scroll: Sweet and Bitter.^{[a] 1} Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire, ² and his hand held a small scroll that had been opened.

Placing his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ the angel gave forth a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders spoke. ⁴ After the seven thunders had spoken, I was preparing to write when I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have spoken, but do not write it down.”

⁵ Then the angel whom I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by him who lives forever and ever and who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them: “There will be no further delay. ⁷ When the time comes for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet, the mysterious purpose of God^[b] will be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the Prophets.”

⁸ Then I again heard the voice that had spoken to me from heaven, and it said, “Go and take that open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ Therefore, I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He replied, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.”

¹⁰ I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it did taste as sweet as honey, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy once again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”