[Jonah 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.
[Jonah 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].
[Jonah 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.
[Jonah 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?