The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Jonah 1
1 Now Yahweh’s† word came to Jonah the
son of Amittai, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and preach against it, for their wickedness
has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish
from the presence of Yahweh. He went
down to Joppa, and found a ship going
to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went
down into it, to go with them to Tarshish
from the presence of Yahweh.
4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on
the sea, and there was a mighty storm on
the sea, so that the ship was likely to break
up.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and
every man cried to his god. They threw the
cargo that was in the ship into the sea to
lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down
into the innermost parts of the ship and he
was laying down, and was fast asleep.
6 So the ship master came to him, and
said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper?
Arise, call on your God!‡ Maybe your God§
will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”
7 They all said to each other, “Come!
Let’s cast lots, that we may know who is
responsible for this evil that is on us.” So
they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they asked him, “Tell us, please,
for whose cause this evil is on us. What
is your occupation? Where do you come
from? What is your country? Of what
people are you?”
9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I
fear Yahweh, the God† of heaven, who has
made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were exceedingly
afraid, and said to him, “What have you
done?” For the men knew that he was
fleeing from the presence of Yahweh,
because he had told them.
11 Then they said to him, “What shall we
do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?”
For the sea grew more and more stormy.
12 He said to them, “Take me up, and
throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be
calm for you;for I know that because of me
this great storm is on you.”
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to
get them back to the land; but they could
not, for the sea grew more and more
stormy against them.
14 Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and
said, “We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you,
don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t
lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh,
have done as it pleased you.”
15 So they took up Jonah and threw him
into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging.
16 Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly;
and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh
and made vows.
17 Yahweh prepared a huge fish to
swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of
the fish three days and three nights.