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.

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].

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.

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?

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