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