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.

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, ^[g]a three-day journey in extent. ⁴ And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then ^(AJ)he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

The People of Nineveh Believe

⁵ So the ^(AK)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 ^(AL)and sat in ashes. ^7 (AM)And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his ^[h]nobles, saying,

^10 (AQ)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 ^(AR)fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a ^(AS)gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ^3 (AT)Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for ^(AU)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 ^[i]plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah ^[j]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, ^(AV)“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 ^[k]came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, ^(AW)that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons ^(AX)who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Bearing Others’ Burdens

15 We ^(A)then who are strong ought to bear with the ^[a]scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (B)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to ^[b]edification. ^3 (C)For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ^(D)“The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” ⁴ For ^(E)whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the ^[c]patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. ^5 (F)Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶ that you may ^(G)with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify God Together

⁷ Therefore ^(H)receive one another, just ^(I)as Christ also received ^[d]us, to the glory of God. ⁸ Now I say that ^(J)Jesus Christ has become a ^[e]servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, ^(K)to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ⁹ and ^(L)that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

¹⁰ And again he says:

¹¹ And again:

¹² And again, Isaiah says:

¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all ^(Q)joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

From Jerusalem to Illyricum

¹⁴ Now ^(R)I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, ^(S)filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish ^[f]one another. ¹⁵ Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, ^(T)because of the grace given to me by God, ¹⁶ that ^(U)I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the ^(V)offering ^[g]of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus ^(W)in the things which pertain to God. ¹⁸ For I will not dare to speak of any of those things ^(X)which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, ^(Y)to make the Gentiles obedient— ^19 (Z)in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. ²⁰ And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, ^(AA)lest I should build on another man’s foundation, ²¹ but as it is written:

Plan to Visit Rome

²² For this reason ^(AC)I also have been much hindered from coming to you. ²³ But now no longer having a place in these parts, and ^(AD)having a great desire these many years to come to you, ²⁴ whenever I journey to Spain, ^[h]I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, ^(AE)and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may ^(AF)enjoy your company for a while. ²⁵ But now ^(AG)I am going to Jerusalem to ^[i]minister to the saints. ²⁶ For ^(AH)it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. ²⁷ It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For ^(AI)if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, ^(AJ)their duty is also to minister to them in material things. ²⁸ Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them ^(AK)this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. ^29 (AL)But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing ^[j]of the gospel of Christ.

³⁰ Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and ^(AM)through the love of the Spirit, ^(AN)that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, ^31 (AO)that I may be delivered from those in Judea who ^[k]do not believe, and that ^(AP)my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ^32 (AQ)that I may come to you with joy ^(AR)by the will of God, and may ^(AS)be refreshed together with you. ³³ Now ^(AT)the God of peace be with you all. Amen.