Jonah 1:1-3

New International Version

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.”

³But 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)

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Jonah 1:9

New International Version

⁹He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord,^(A) the God of heaven,^(B) who made the sea^(C) and the dry land.^(D)”

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Jonah 1:9 in all English translations

Jonah 1:12

New International Version

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.”^(A)

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Jonah 1:12 in all English translations

Jonah 2:1-9

New International Version

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

“In my distress I called^(A) to the Lord,^(B)
    and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead^(C) I called for help,
    and you listened to my cry.
³You hurled me into the depths,^(D)
    into the very heart of the seas,
    and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves^(E) and breakers
    swept over me.^(F)
⁴I said, ‘I have been banished
    from your sight;^(G)
yet I will look again
    toward your holy temple.’^(H)
⁵The engulfing waters threatened me,^[b]
    the deep surrounded me;
    seaweed was wrapped around my head.^(I)
⁶To the roots of the mountains^(J) I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.^(K)

⁷“When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered^(L) you, Lord,
and my prayer^(M) rose to you,
to your holy temple.^(N)

⁸“Those who cling to worthless idols^(O)
    turn away from God’s love for them.
⁹But I, with shouts of grateful praise,^(P)
    will sacrifice^(Q) to you.
What I have vowed^(R) I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation^(S) comes from the Lord.’”

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Footnotes

Jonah 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:17, and 2:1-10 is numbered 2:2-11.
Jonah 2:5 Or waters were at my throat

Jonah 3:3-10

New International Version

³Jonah 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. ⁴Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,^(A) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.^(B)

⁶When 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.^(C) ⁷This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.^(D) ⁸But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call^(E) urgently on God. Let them give up^(F) their evil ways^(G) and their violence.^(H) ⁹Who knows?^(I) God may yet relent^(J) and with compassion turn^(K) from his fierce anger^(L) so that we will not perish.”

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

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