Jonah Chapter 1

1:1 The word of Yãhweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yãhweh. So he went down to 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 Yãhweh. 4 And Yãhweh hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten itfor them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down, and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.” 7 And each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yãhweh Almĩghty of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yãhweh, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”— for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on Yãhweh and said, “We earnestly pray, Yãhweh, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for you, Yãhweh, have done as you have pleased.” 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared Yãhweh greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to Yãhweh and made vows. 17 And Yãhweh appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah Chapter 2

2:1 Then Jonah prayed to Yãhweh his Almĩghty from the belly of the fish, 2 and he said, “I called out of my distress to Yãhweh, and he answered me. I cried for help from the belly of the graveą; you did hear my voice. 3 “For you hadst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the river surrounded me. All your breakers and waves crossed over me. 4 “So I said, ‘I have been driven out from in front of your eyes. But I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5 “Water encompassed me as far as the soul of the deep. Kelp was surrounding being bound to my head. 6 “I descended to the cuts of the mountains. The earth with its bars shut behind me to time immemorial, but you caused my life to ascend from the pit, Yãhweh my Almĩghty. 7 “While I was fainting away, I remembered Yãhweh; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, 9 but I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from Yãhweh.” 10 Then Yãhweh commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Jonah Chapter 3

3:1 Now the word of Yãhweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yãhweh. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 Then the men of Nineveh ąput their supportą in the Almĩghty; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7 And he issued a 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. 8 “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on the Almĩghty earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9 “Who knows, the Almĩghty may turn and relent, and withdraw his burning anger so that we shall not perish?” 10 When the Almĩghty saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then the Almĩghty relented concerning the calamity which he had declared he would bring upon them. And he did not do it.

Jonah Chapter 4

4:1 But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. 2 And he prayed to Yãhweh and said, “Please Yãhweh, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate Almĩghty, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 3 “Therefore now, Yãhweh, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 And Yãhweh said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So Yãhweh Almĩghty appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. 7 But the Almĩghty appointed a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 And it came about when the sun came up that the Almĩghty appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.” 9 Then the Almĩghty 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 Yãhweh said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work, and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. 11 “And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”