Jonah’s Disobedience

The word of the Lord came to (A)Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to (B)Nineveh the great city and (C)cry against it, for their (D)wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to (E)Tarshish (F)from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to (G)Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

The (H)Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to [a]break up. Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to (I)his god, and they (J)threw the [b]cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it [c]for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, (K)call on your god. Perhaps your (L)god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us (M)cast lots so we may [d]learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the (N)lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “(O)Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your (P)occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He said to them, “I am a (Q)Hebrew, and I (R)fear the Lord (S)God of heaven who (T)made the sea and the dry land.”

10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “[e]How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was (U)fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm [f]for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm [g]for you, for I know that (V)on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men [h]rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the (W)Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for (X)You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”

15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea (Y)stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made (Z)vows.

17 [i]And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the (AA)stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah’s Prayer

[j]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God (AB)from the stomach of the fish, and he said,

“I (AC)called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the [k]depth of (AD)Sheol;
You heard my voice.
“For You had (AE)cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current [l]engulfed me.
All Your (AF)breakers and billows passed over me.
“So I said, ‘I have been (AG)expelled from [m]Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again (AH)toward Your holy temple.’
(AI)Water encompassed me to the [n]point of death.
The great (AJ)deep [o]engulfed me,
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
“I (AK)descended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its (AL)bars was around me forever,
But You have (AM)brought up my life from [p]the pit, O Lord my God.
“While [q]I was (AN)fainting away,
I (AO)remembered the Lord,
And my (AP)prayer came to You,
Into (AQ)Your holy temple.
“Those who (AR)regard [r]vain idols
Forsake their faithfulness,
But I will (AS)sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will (AT)pay.
(AU)Salvation is from the Lord.”

10 Then the Lord commanded the (AV)fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Nineveh Repents

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to (AW)Nineveh the great city and (AX)proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was [s]an (AY)exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he (AZ)cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a (BA)fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, (BB)covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the [t]ashes. He issued a (BC)proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let [u]men (BD)call on God earnestly that each may (BE)turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in [v]his hands. (BF)Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they (BG)turned from their wicked way, then (BH)God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would [w]bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked

But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became (BI)angry. He (BJ)prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this [x]what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore [y]in order to forestall this I (BK)fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a (BL)gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore now, O Lord, please (BM)take my [z]life from me, for death is (BN)better to me than life.” The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of [aa]it. There he made a shelter for himself and (BO)sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. So the Lord God appointed a [ab]plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was [ac]extremely happy about the [ad]plant. But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it (BP)withered. When the sun came up God appointed a scorching (BQ)east wind, and the (BR)sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “(BS)Death is better to me than life.”

Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which [ae]came up overnight and perished [af]overnight. 11 Should I not (BT)have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not (BU)know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many (BV)animals?”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 1:4 Lit be broken
  2. Jonah 1:5 Lit vessels
  3. Jonah 1:5 Lit from upon them
  4. Jonah 1:7 Lit know
  5. Jonah 1:10 Lit What is this you have done
  6. Jonah 1:11 Lit from upon us
  7. Jonah 1:12 Lit from upon you
  8. Jonah 1:13 Lit dug their oars into the water
  9. Jonah 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Heb
  10. Jonah 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
  11. Jonah 2:2 Lit belly
  12. Jonah 2:3 Lit surrounded
  13. Jonah 2:4 Lit before Your eyes
  14. Jonah 2:5 Lit soul
  15. Jonah 2:5 Lit surrounded
  16. Jonah 2:6 Or corruption
  17. Jonah 2:7 Lit my soul...within me
  18. Jonah 2:8 Lit empty vanities
  19. Jonah 3:3 Lit a great city to God
  20. Jonah 3:6 Or dust
  21. Jonah 3:8 Lit them
  22. Jonah 3:8 Lit their
  23. Jonah 3:10 Lit do
  24. Jonah 4:2 Lit my word
  25. Jonah 4:2 Lit I was beforehand in fleeing
  26. Jonah 4:3 Lit soul
  27. Jonah 4:5 Lit the city
  28. Jonah 4:6 Probably a castor oil plant, and so in vv 7, 9 and 10
  29. Jonah 4:6 Lit greatly
  30. Jonah 4:6 Probably a castor oil plant, and so in vv 7, 9 and 10
  31. Jonah 4:10 Lit was a son of a night
  32. Jonah 4:10 Lit a son of a night

John’s Questions

11 (A)When Jesus had finished [a]giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there (B)to teach and [b]preach in their cities.

(C)Now when (D)John, [c]while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You (E)the [d]Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: (F)the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the (G)poor have the [e]gospel preached to them. And blessed is he [f]who (H)does not [g]take offense at Me.”

Jesus’ Tribute to John

As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into (I)the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [h]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ [i]palaces! [j]But what did you go out to see? (J)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it [k]is written,

(K)Behold, I send My messenger [l]ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is [m]least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 (L)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven [n]suffers violence, and violent men [o]take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is (M)Elijah who [p]was to come. 15 (N)He who has ears to hear, [q]let him hear.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not [r]mourn.’ 18 For John came neither (O)eating nor (P)drinking, and they say, ‘(Q)He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a [s]drunkard, (R)a friend of tax collectors and [t]sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

The Unrepenting Cities

20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His [u](S)miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 (T)Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, (U)Bethsaida! For if the [v]miracles had occurred in (V)Tyre and (W)Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in [w](X)sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, (Y)it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in (Z)the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, (AA)Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will (AB)descend to (AC)Hades; for if the [x]miracles had occurred in (AD)Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that (AE)it will be more tolerable for the land of (AF)Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Come to Me

25 (AG)At that [y]time Jesus said, “I praise You, (AH)Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that (AI)You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, (AJ)Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 (AK)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father (AL)except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

28 (AM)Come to Me, all [z]who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and (AN)learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and (AO)you will find rest for your souls. 30 For (AP)My yoke is [aa]easy and My burden is light.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:1 Or commanding
  2. Matthew 11:1 Or proclaim
  3. Matthew 11:2 Lit in prison
  4. Matthew 11:3 Lit Coming One
  5. Matthew 11:5 Or good news
  6. Matthew 11:6 Lit whoever
  7. Matthew 11:6 Or stumble over Me
  8. Matthew 11:8 Or Well then,
  9. Matthew 11:8 Lit houses
  10. Matthew 11:9 Or Well then,
  11. Matthew 11:10 Lit has been written
  12. Matthew 11:10 Lit before your face
  13. Matthew 11:11 Or less
  14. Matthew 11:12 Or is forcibly entered
  15. Matthew 11:12 Or seize it for themselves
  16. Matthew 11:14 Or is going to come
  17. Matthew 11:15 Or hear! Or listen!
  18. Matthew 11:17 Lit beat the breast
  19. Matthew 11:19 Or wine-drinker
  20. Matthew 11:19 I.e. irreligious Jews
  21. Matthew 11:20 Or works of power
  22. Matthew 11:21 Or works of power
  23. Matthew 11:21 I.e. symbols of mourning
  24. Matthew 11:23 Or works of power
  25. Matthew 11:25 Or occasion
  26. Matthew 11:28 Or who work to exhaustion
  27. Matthew 11:30 Or comfortable, or pleasant