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. 2 ^1 [a]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. ² He said:

¹⁰ And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah^(AT) a second time: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

³ Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. ⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,^(AU) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.^(AV)

⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.^{(AW) 7} This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented^(BG) and did not bring on them the destruction^(BH) he had threatened.^(BI)

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.^{(BJ) 2} He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew^(BK) that you are a gracious^(BL) and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,^(BM) a God who relents^(BN) from sending calamity.^{(BO) 3} Now, Lord, take away my life,^(BP) for it is better for me to die^(BQ) than to live.”^(BR)

⁴ But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”^(BS)

⁵ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the Lord God provided^(BT) a leafy plant^[c] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. ⁷ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.^{(BU) 8} When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,^(BV) and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”^(BW)

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. ¹¹ And should I not have concern^(BX) for the great city of Nineveh,^(BY) in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak^(A) and not to please ourselves. ² Each of us should please our neighbors for their good,^(B) to build them up.^{(C) 3} For even Christ did not please himself^(D) but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”^{[a](E) 4} For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,^(F) so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind^(G) toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify^(H) the God and Father^(I) of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Accept one another,^(J) then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews^[b](K) on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises^(L) made to the patriarchs might be confirmed ⁹ and, moreover, that the Gentiles^(M) might glorify God^(N) for his mercy. As it is written:

¹⁰ Again, it says,

¹¹ And again,

¹² And again, Isaiah says,

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace^(T) as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.^(U)

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

¹⁴ I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness,^(V) filled with knowledge^(W) and competent to instruct one another. ¹⁵ Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me^{(X) 16} to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.^(Y) He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,^(Z) so that the Gentiles might become an offering^(AA) acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷ Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus^(AB) in my service to God.^{(AC) 18} I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles^(AD) to obey God^(AE) by what I have said and done— ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders,^(AF) through the power of the Spirit of God.^(AG) So from Jerusalem^(AH) all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.^{(AI) 20} It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel^(AJ) where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.^{(AK) 21} Rather, as it is written:

²² This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.^(AM)

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

²³ But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,^{(AN) 24} I plan to do so when I go to Spain.^(AO) I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist^(AP) me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵ Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem^(AQ) in the service^(AR) of the Lord’s people^(AS) there. ²⁶ For Macedonia^(AT) and Achaia^(AU) were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.^{(AV) 27} They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.^{(AW) 28} So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain^(AX) and visit you on the way. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you,^(AY) I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰ I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit,^(AZ) to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.^{(BA) 31} Pray that I may be kept safe^(BB) from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution^(BC) I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people^(BD) there, ³² so that I may come to you^(BE) with joy, by God’s will,^(BF) and in your company be refreshed.^{(BG) 33} The God of peace^(BH) be with you all. Amen.