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約拿違命

耶和華的話臨到亞米太的兒子約拿,說: “起來!到尼尼微大城去,警告其中的居民,因為他們的惡行已經達到我面前。” 可是約拿卻起來,要逃往他施去,躲避耶和華;他下到約帕,找到了一隻要開往他施去的船;他給了錢,就上船(“上船”原文作“下船”),要和他們同往他施去,離開耶和華。

海起大風

但是耶和華在海上忽然颳起大風,於是海中狂風大作,船幾乎要破裂了。 水手都很懼怕,各人向自己的神大聲呼求;他們為了減輕船的重量,就把船上的東西拋在海裡,可是約拿卻下了船艙,躺著熟睡了。 船長走到他面前,對他說:“你怎麼啦!睡得那麼熟?快起來,求告你的 神吧!或者 神會記念我們,使我們不至於喪命!”

約拿受罰

水手就彼此說:“來吧!讓我們抽籤,好知道這場災禍臨到我們,是因誰的緣故。”於是他們抽籤,結果抽中了約拿。 他們就對約拿說:“請告訴我們,這場災禍臨到我們,是因誰的緣故?你是作甚麼的?你從哪裡來?你是哪一國的人?哪一族的人?” 他回答說:“我是希伯來人,我敬畏耶和華天上的 神,就是那創造海洋和陸地的。”

10 眾人就大大懼怕,對他說:“你為甚麼這樣作呢?(“你為甚麼這樣作呢?”或譯:“你作的是甚麼呢?”)”那些人知道他躲避耶和華,原來約拿告訴了他們。 11 因為海浪越來越洶湧,他們又對他說:“我們該怎樣處置你,才能叫海浪平靜呢?” 12 他回答說:“你們把我抬起來,投在海裡,海浪就會平靜,因為我知道,這場大風暴臨到你們,是為了我的緣故。” 13 那些人雖然破浪掙扎,要把船靠岸,卻是不能,因為海浪不斷洶湧撲來。 14 他們就呼求耶和華,說:“耶和華啊!我們懇求你,不要因這人叫我們喪命;不要把無辜人的血歸在我們身上,因為你耶和華是照自己所喜悅的行事。”

15 於是他們把約拿抬起來,投在海裡,怒濤就平息了。 16 那些人就大大敬畏耶和華,向他獻祭和許願。

17 耶和華卻安排了一條大魚,把約拿吞下。約拿就在魚腹中三日三夜。(本節在《馬索拉文本》為2:1)

La parole de l'Éternel fut adressée à Jonas, fils d'Amitthaï, en ces mots:

Lève-toi, va à Ninive, la grande ville, et crie contre elle! car sa méchanceté est montée jusqu'à moi.

Et Jonas se leva pour s'enfuir à Tarsis, loin de la face de l'Éternel. Il descendit à Japho, et il trouva un navire qui allait à Tarsis; il paya le prix du transport, et s'embarqua pour aller avec les passagers à Tarsis, loin de la face de l'Éternel.

Mais l'Éternel fit souffler sur la mer un vent impétueux, et il s'éleva sur la mer une grande tempête. Le navire menaçait de faire naufrage.

Les mariniers eurent peur, ils implorèrent chacun leur dieu, et ils jetèrent dans la mer les objets qui étaient sur le navire, afin de le rendre plus léger. Jonas descendit au fond du navire, se coucha, et s'endormit profondément.

Le pilote s'approcha de lui, et lui dit: Pourquoi dors-tu? Lève-toi, invoque ton Dieu! peut-être voudra-t-il penser à nous, et nous ne périrons pas.

Et il se rendirent l'un à l'autre: Venez, et tirons au sort, pour savoir qui nous attire ce malheur. Ils tirèrent au sort, et le sort tomba sur Jonas.

Alors ils lui dirent: Dis-nous qui nous attire ce malheur. Quelles sont tes affaires, et d'où viens-tu? Quel est ton pays, et de quel peuple es-tu?

Il leur répondit: Je suis Hébreu, et je crains l'Éternel, le Dieu des cieux, qui a fait la mer et la terre.

10 Ces hommes eurent une grande frayeur, et ils lui dirent: Pourquoi as-tu fait cela? Car ces hommes savaient qu'il fuyait loin de la face de l'Éternel, parce qu'il le leur avait déclaré.

11 Ils lui dirent: Que te ferons-nous, pour que la mer se calme envers nous? Car la mer était de plus en plus orageuse.

12 Il leur répondit: Prenez-moi, et jetez-moi dans la mer, et la mer se calmera envers vous; car je sais que c'est moi qui attire sur vous cette grande tempête.

13 Ces hommes ramaient pour gagner la terre, mais ils ne le purent, parce que la mer s'agitait toujours plus contre eux.

14 Alors ils invoquèrent l'Éternel, et dirent: O Éternel, ne nous fais pas périr à cause de la vie de cet homme, et ne nous charge pas du sang innocent! Car toi, Éternel, tu fais ce que tu veux.

15 Puis ils prirent Jonas, et le jetèrent dans la mer. Et la fureur de la mer s'apaisa.

16 Ces hommes furent saisis d'une grande crainte de l'Éternel, et ils offrirent un sacrifice à l'Éternel, et firent des voeux.

17 (2:1) L'Éternel fit venir un grand poisson pour engloutir Jonas, et Jonas fut dans le ventre du poisson trois jours et trois nuits.

Now the word of the Lord came to [a]Jonah son of Amittai, saying,

Arise, go to [b]Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.(A)

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister].(B)

But the Lord sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken.(C)

Then the mariners were afraid, and each man cried to his god; and they cast the goods that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.

So the captain came and said to him, What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call upon your God! Perhaps your God will give a thought to us so that we shall not perish.

And they each said to one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

Then they said to him, Tell us, we pray you, on whose account has this evil come upon us? What is your occupation? Where did you come from? And what is your country and nationality?

And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, Who made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, What is this that you have done? For the men knew that he fled from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet and servant], because he had told them.

11 Then they said to him, What shall we do to you, that the sea may subside and be calm for us? For the sea became more and more [violently] tempestuous.

12 And [Jonah] said to them, Take me up and cast me into the sea; so shall the sea become calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could not, for the sea became more and more violent against them.

14 Therefore they cried to the Lord, We beseech You, O Lord, we beseech You, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.

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

16 Then the men [reverently and worshipfully] feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17 Now the Lord had prepared and appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.(D)

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 1:1 That Jonah was a historical character is evidenced beyond question by the reference to him in II Kings 14:25: “Jeroboam restored Israel’s border... according to the word of the Lord... which He spoke through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.”
  2. Jonah 1:2 In spite of the fact that Nineveh is called a “great city” three times in the Old Testament (Gen. 10:11, 12; Jonah 1:2; 3:3) and once in the Apocrypha (Judith 1:1), skeptical Bible critics long believed the statement to be greatly exaggerated. When the walled city was first excavated, it was found to be less than nine miles in circumference. That sparked cynical claims that the author, Jonah, did not know what he was talking about. But the real author, the Holy Spirit, was being overlooked. Later excavations have revealed that Nineveh had many suburbs, three of which are mentioned along with Nineveh in Gen. 10:11, 12. One first-century writer (Diodorus of Sicily) justifiably says that Nineveh was a quadrangle measuring about sixty miles in circuit—a “great city” indeed.