Jonah’s Disobedience

1 Now the word of the Lord came to ^(A)Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to ^(B)Nineveh, that ^(C)great city, and cry out against it; for ^(D)their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to ^(E)Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to ^(F)Tarshish ^(G)from the presence of the Lord.

The Storm at Sea

⁴ But ^(H)the Lord ^[a]sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

⁵ Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten ^[b]the load. But Jonah had gone down ^(I)into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

⁶ So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, ^(J)call on your God; ^(K)perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

⁷ And they said to one another, “Come, let us ^(L)cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, ^(M)“Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

⁹ So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear ^[c]the Lord, the God of heaven, ^(N)who made the sea and the dry land.”

Jonah Thrown into the Sea

¹⁰ Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. ¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

¹² And he said to them, ^(O)“Pick me up and ^[d]throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”

¹³ Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, ^(P)but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and ^(Q)do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, ^(R)have done as it pleased You.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, ^(S)and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men ^(T)feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

Jonah’s Prayer and Deliverance

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

Jonah’s Prayer and God’s Answer

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. ² And he said:

¹⁰ So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

A Glorious Body

³⁵ But someone will say, ^(A)“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” ³⁶ Foolish one, ^(B)what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind ^[a]of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also ^[b]celestial bodies and ^[c]terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

^42 (C)So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ^43 (D)It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, ^(E)“The first man Adam became a living being.” ^(F)The last Adam became ^(G)a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ^47 (H)The first man was of the earth, ^(I)made^[d] of dust; the second Man is ^[e]the Lord ^(J)from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the ^[f]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; ^(K)and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And ^(L)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(M)we^[g] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that ^(N)flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a ^[h]mystery: ^(O)We shall not all sleep, ^(P)but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. ^(Q)For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and ^(R)this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ^(S)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and ^(U)the strength of sin is the law. ^57 (V)But thanks be to God, who gives us ^(W)the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

^58 (X)Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing ^(Y)that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Jonah Preaches at Nineveh

3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” ³ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, ^[a]a three-day journey in extent. ⁴ And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then ^(A)he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

The People of Nineveh Believe

⁵ So the ^(B)people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth ^(C)and sat in ashes. ^7 (D)And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his ^[b]nobles, saying,

^10 (H)Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Jonah’s Anger and God’s Kindness

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. ² So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I ^(I)fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a ^(J)gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ^3 (K)Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for ^(L)it is better for me to die than to live!”

⁴ Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶ And the Lord God prepared a ^[c]plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah ^[d]was very grateful for the plant. ⁷ But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. ⁸ And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, ^(M)“It is better for me to die than to live.”

⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which ^[e]came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, ^(N)that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons ^(O)who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning ^(A)the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ^2 (B)On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. ³ And when I come, ^(C)whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. ^4 (D)But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans^(E)

⁵ Now I will come to you ^(F)when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). ⁶ And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may ^(G)send me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, ^(H)if the Lord permits.

⁸ But I will tarry in Ephesus until ^(I)Pentecost. ⁹ For ^(J)a great and effective door has opened to me, and ^(K)there are many adversaries.

¹⁰ And ^(L)if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for ^(M)he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. ^11 (N)Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey ^(O)in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

¹² Now concerning our brother ^(P)Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

Final Exhortations

^13 (Q)Watch, ^(R)stand fast in the faith, be brave, ^(S)be strong. ^14 (T)Let all that you do be done with love.

¹⁵ I urge you, brethren—you know ^(U)the household of Stephanas, that it is ^(V)the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to ^(W)the ministry of the saints— ^16 (X)that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and ^(Y)labors with us.

¹⁷ I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, ^(Z)for what was lacking on your part they supplied. ^18 (AA)For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore ^(AB)acknowledge such men.

Greetings and a Solemn Farewell

¹⁹ The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, ^(AC)with the church that is in their house. ²⁰ All the brethren greet you.

^(AD)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

^21 (AE)The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

²² If anyone ^(AF)does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AG)let him be ^[a]accursed. ^(AH)O^[b] Lord, come!

^23 (AI)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ²⁴ My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.