
Jonah

   {1:1} Now the word of Jehovah 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 Jehovah; and he went down to
Joppa, and 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 Jehovah. {1:4} But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and
there was a mighty tempest on 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 they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the
sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the
innermost parts 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
a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea
and the dry land. {1:10} Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said
unto him, What is this that thou hast done? For the men knew that he
was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, 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 grew more and more 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 get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more
and more tempestuous against them. {1:14} Wherefore they cried unto
Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us
not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for
thou, O Jehovah, 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 its
raging. {1:16} Then the men feared Jehovah exceedingly; and they
offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows. {1:17} And Jehovah
prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly
of the fish three days and three nights.



   {2:1} Then Jonah prayed unto Jehovah his God out of the fish's
belly. {2:2} And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto
Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, [And]
thou heardest my voice. {2:3} For thou didst cast me into the depth, in
the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All thy waves
and thy billows passed over me. {2:4} And I said, I am cast out from
before thine eyes; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. {2:5}
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round
about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head. {2:6} I went down to
the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with its bars [closed] upon me
for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my
God. {2:7} When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my
prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple. {2:8} They that regard
lying vanities Forsake their own mercy. {2:9} But I will sacrifice unto
thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have
vowed. Salvation is of Jehovah. {2:10} And Jehovah spake unto the fish,
and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.



   {3:1} And the word of Jehovah 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 Jehovah. 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} And the people of Nineveh believed
God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the
greatest of them even to the least of them. {3:6} And the tidings
reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his
robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. {3:7}
And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of
the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor
flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water; {3:8} but
let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them
cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way,
and from the violence that is in his hands. {3:9} Who knoweth whether
God will not 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 which he said he would do
unto them; and he did it not.





   {4:1} But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. {4:2}
And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not
this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to
flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and
merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest
thee of the evil. {4:3} Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee,
my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. {4:4} And
Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry? {4:5} Then 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 shade, till he might see what would
become of the city. {4:6} And Jehovah God prepared a gourd, and made it
to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to
deliver him from his evil case. So Jonah was exceeding glad because 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 arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the
sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for
himself that he might 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} And
Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast
not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and
perished in a night: {4:11} and should not I have regard for 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?




