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Jonah 1

Jonah runs away

1 The Lord spoke a message to Jonah, Amittai's son. ^{[ a ]} ² He said, ‘Go now to the great city of Nineveh. Tell the people in the city that I know how wicked they are. Tell them that I will punish them because of their sins.’

³ But Jonah did not want to obey the Lord 's command. He decided to run away to Tarshish. ^{[ b ]} He went down to Joppa. ^{[ c ]} There he found a ship that was ready to sail to Tarshish. After he had paid for the journey, he got into the ship. He wanted to go on the ship to Tarshish, to get far away from the Lord .

A big storm

⁴ Then the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea. The storm was so powerful that it almost broke the ship into pieces. ⁵ The sailors were very frightened. Each of them called out to his own god for help. They threw into the sea all the things that the ship carried. They wanted to make the ship as light as they could. Jonah had gone down into the bottom of the ship. He was lying down and he was asleep.

⁶ The ship's captain went to Jonah. He said, ‘Why are you sleeping like that? Get up now! Call to your god for help! Maybe he will listen to us and we will not die.’

⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, ‘We should throw dice to find out who has brought all this trouble to us.’ So they threw dice. The dice showed that Jonah had caused the storm.

⁸ So they said to Jonah, ‘Tell us, who has caused all this trouble for us? What is your job? Where do you come from? What country do you live in? Who is your family?’ ^{[ d ]}

⁹ Jonah answered them, ‘I am a Hebrew man. I worship the Lord who is the God of heaven. He made the sea and the land.’ ¹⁰ This made the sailors even more afraid. Jonah had already told them that he was running away from the Lord . So they said to him, ‘Why did you do a thing like that?’

¹¹ The waves in the sea were becoming bigger because of the storm. So the sailors asked Jonah, ‘What should we do to you so that the sea becomes quiet?’ ¹² Jonah replied, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become quiet. It is because of me that you are in danger from this great storm.’

¹³ But the sailors did not do what Jonah said. Instead, they tried to use oars to drive the ship back to the land. But the storm was too strong and they could not do that.

¹⁴ So the sailors called aloud to the Lord . They prayed, ‘ Lord , please do not punish us with death if we have to kill this man! Do not say that we are guilty because we have killed someone who has done nothing wrong. Lord , we know that you have sent this storm because you wanted to do it.’

¹⁵ Then the sailors took hold of Jonah and they threw him into the sea. The storm stopped and the sea became quiet. ¹⁶ When they saw what had happened, the sailors became very afraid of the Lord 's power. They offered a sacrifice to him and they promised that they would serve him.

¹⁷ But the Lord sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was inside the fish's stomach for three days and three nights. ^{[ e ]}

Footnotes

1:1 When we write Lord like this, it is a special name for God. Sometimes people write it as ‘Yahweh’, or as ‘Jehovah’. It is his own name that he told Moses. See Exodus 3:14 . It means ‘I am who I am’. This shows that God has always been there and he always will be there.
1:3 Tarshish was a port that was far away to the west.
1:3 Joppa was a port in Israel, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
1:8 The sailors were very afraid. They wanted to know who Jonah was. They wanted to know which gods he worshipped.
1:17 The great fish may have been what we call a whale. The Hebrew word could include whales as well as fish. ‘Swallow’ means that the fish took Jonah down into its stomach but it did not bite him.

God Calls and Jonah Runs

1 The Lord spoke to Jonah ^{[ a ]} son of Amittai: ² “Nineveh ^{[ b ]} is a big city. I have heard about the many evil things the people are doing there. So go there and tell them to stop doing such evil things.”

³ But Jonah tried to run away from the Lord . He went to Joppa ^{[ c ]} and found a boat that was going to the faraway city of Tarshish. Jonah paid money for the trip and went on the boat. He wanted to travel with the people on this boat to Tarshish and run away from the Lord .

The Great Storm

⁴ But the Lord brought a great storm on the sea. The wind made the sea very rough. The storm was very strong, and the boat was ready to break apart. ⁵ The men wanted to make the boat lighter to stop it from sinking, so they began throwing the cargo ^{[ d ]} into the sea. The sailors were very afraid. Each man began praying to his god.

Jonah had gone down into the boat to lie down, and he went to sleep. ⁶ The captain of the boat saw Jonah and said, “Wake up! Why are you sleeping? Pray to your god! Maybe your god will hear your prayer and save us!”

What Caused This Storm?

⁷ Then the men said to each other, “We should throw lots to find out why this is happening to us.”

So the men threw lots. The lots showed that the troubles came to them because of Jonah. ⁸ Then the men said to Jonah, “It is your fault that this terrible thing is happening to us. Tell us, what have you done? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?”

⁹ Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew. I worship the Lord , the God of heaven, who made the land and the sea.”

¹⁰ Jonah told the men he was running away from the Lord . The men became very afraid when they learned this. They asked Jonah, “What terrible thing did you do against your God?”

¹¹ The wind and the waves of the sea were becoming stronger and stronger. So the men said to Jonah, “What should we do to save ourselves? What should we do to you to make the sea calm?”

¹² Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.”

¹³ Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger.

Jonah’s Punishment

¹⁴ So the men cried to the Lord , “ Lord , please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord , and you will do whatever you want.”

¹⁵ So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. ¹⁶ When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord . They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord .

¹⁷ When Jonah fell into the sea, the Lord chose a very big fish to swallow Jonah. He was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.

Footnotes

Jonah 1:1 Jonah This is probably the same prophet mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25.
Jonah 1:2 Nineveh The capital city of the country of Assyria. Assyria destroyed Israel in 722–721 B.C.
Jonah 1:3 Joppa A town on the coast of Israel by the Mediterranean Sea.
Jonah 1:5 cargo The Hebrew word can mean “dishes,” “jars,” or “tools.” Here, this could mean all the jars and boxes the boat carried on its way to Tarshish or the rigging and other heavy tools on the boat.

1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

² Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

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 .

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

¹⁵ So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord , and made vows.

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’s Disobedience

1 The word of the Lord came to ^{( A )} Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to ^{( B )} Nineveh, the great city, and ^{( C )} cry out against it, because their ^{( D )} wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah got up to flee to ^{( E )} Tarshish ^{( F )} from the presence of the Lord . So he went down to ^{( G )} Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and ^{[ a ]} boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord .

⁴ However, the ^{( H )} Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to ^{[ b ]} break up. ⁵ Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried out to ^{( I )} his ^{[ c ]} god, and they ^{( J )} hurled the ^{[ d ]} cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it ^{[ e ]} for them. But Jonah had gone below into the stern of the ship, had lain down, and fallen sound asleep. ⁶ So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, ^{( K )} call on your god! Perhaps your ^{( L )} god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

⁷ And each man said to his mate, “Come, let’s ^{( M )} cast lots so that we may ^{[ f ]} find out on whose account this catastrophe has struck us.” So they cast lots, and the ^{( N )} lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “ ^{( O )} Tell us, now! On whose account has this catastrophe struck us? What is your ^{( P )} occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?” ⁹ So he said to them, “I am a ^{( Q )} Hebrew, and I ^{( R )} fear the Lord ^{( S )} God of heaven who ^{( T )} made the sea and the dry land.”

¹⁰ Then the men became extremely afraid, and they said to him, “ ^{[ g ]} How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was ^{( U )} fleeing from the presence of the Lord , because he had told them. ¹¹ So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will become calm ^{[ h ]} for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. ¹² And he said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm ^{[ i ]} for you, because I know that ^{( V )} on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” ¹³ However, the men ^{[ j ]} rowed desperately to return to land, but they could not, because the sea was becoming even stormier against them. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the ^{( W )} Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord , do not let us perish on account of this man’s life, and do not put innocent blood on us; for ^{( X )} You, Lord , have done as You pleased.”

¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ^{( Y )} stopped its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men became extremely afraid of the Lord , and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made ^{( Z )} vows.

¹⁷ ^{[ k ]} And the Lord designated a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the ^{( AA )} stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.

Footnotes

Jonah 1:3 Lit went down in
Jonah 1:4 Lit be broken
Jonah 1:5 Or gods
Jonah 1:5 Lit vessels
Jonah 1:5 Lit from upon them
Jonah 1:7 Lit know
Jonah 1:10 Lit What is this you have done
Jonah 1:11 Lit from upon us
Jonah 1:12 Lit from upon you
Jonah 1:13 Lit dug their oars into the water
Jonah 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Heb

Jonah Flees From the Lord

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah ^{( A )} son of Amittai: ^{( B )} ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh ^{( C )} and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

³ But Jonah ran ^{( D )} away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish ^{( E )} . He went down to Joppa, ^{( F )} where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord . ^{( G )}

⁴ Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ^{( H )} ⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. ^{( I )}

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. ⁶ The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call ^{( J )} on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” ^{( K )}

⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” ^{( L )} They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. ^{( M )} ⁸ So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord , ^{( N )} the God of heaven, ^{( O )} who made the sea ^{( P )} and the dry land. ^{( Q )} ”

¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord , because he had already told them so.)

¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” ^{( R )}

¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ^{( S )} ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord , “Please, Lord , do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, ^{( T )} for you, Lord , have done as you pleased.” ^{( U )} ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ^{( V )} ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared ^{( W )} the Lord , and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows ^{( X )} to him.

Jonah’s Prayer

¹⁷ Now the Lord provided ^{( Y )} a huge fish to swallow Jonah, ^{( Z )} and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

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Table of Contents

Jonah 1

Jonah runs away

A big storm

Footnotes

God Calls and Jonah Runs

The Great Storm

What Caused This Storm?

Jonah’s Punishment

Footnotes

Jonah’s Disobedience

Footnotes

Cross references

Jonah Flees From the Lord

Jonah’s Prayer

Cross references

BibleStudyIt Jonah 1

Jonah 1's Chapter Tabs Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

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Your Private Notes

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Jonah 1

Jonah runs away

A big storm

Footnotes

God Calls and Jonah Runs

The Great Storm

What Caused This Storm?

Jonah’s Punishment

Footnotes

Jonah’s Disobedience

Footnotes

Cross references

Jonah Flees From the Lord

Jonah’s Prayer

Cross references

Jonah 1's Chapter Tabs
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