Jonah’s Flight

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:^{(A) 2} “Get up!^(B) Go to the great city^(C) of Nineveh^(D) and preach against it^(E) because their evil^(F) has come up before me.”^{(G) 3} Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish^(H) from the Lord’s presence.^(I) He went down^(J) to Joppa^(K) and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.

⁴ But the Lord threw^(L) a great wind onto the sea,^(M) and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. ⁵ The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god.^(N) They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load.^(O) Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.^(P)

⁶ The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god.^[a](Q) Maybe this god will consider us,^(R) and we won’t perish.”

⁷ “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots.^(S) Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.^{(T) 8} Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.^(U) What is your business,^(V) and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

⁹ He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew.^(W) I worship^[b] the Lord,^(X) the God of the heavens,^(Y) who made the sea^(Z) and the dry land.”

¹⁰ Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence^(AA) because he had told them. ¹¹ So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.

¹² He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame^(AB) for this great storm that is against you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.

¹⁴ So they called out to the Lord,^(AC) “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.”^{(AD) 15} Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.^{(AE) 16} The men were seized by great fear of the Lord,^(AF) and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.^(AG)

¹⁷ The Lord appointed a great fish^(AH) to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.^(AI)