Jonah 1

1 This message from the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai:

Now the word of Jehovah came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 ‘Arise, go to that great city, Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness is known to me.’

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.

3 But Jonah started to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah. And he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare of it, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.

4 But the Lord made a furious wind blow over the sea, and there was such a great storm that the ship was in danger of breaking to pieces.

But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken.

5 The sailors were terrified and each cried for help to his own god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to make the ship lighter. Meanwhile Jonah had gone down into the bottom of the ship and lay fast asleep.

Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god. And they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it to them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he lay, and was fast asleep.

6 The captain of the ship went and said to him, ‘How can you sleep? Call on your god; perhaps that god will think of us, so that we may not be lost.’

So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, What do thou mean, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we not perish.

7 The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots to discover on whose account this evil has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot indicated Jonah.

And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8 So they said to him, ‘Are you to blame for this? Tell us, what is your business, and where do you come from? What is your country and to what people do you belong?’

Then they said to him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us. What is thine occupation? And from where do thou come? What is thy country, and of what people are thou?

9 He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and a worshipper of the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’

And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then the men were greatly frightened and said to him, ‘What have you done?’ For they knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, What is this that thou have done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.

11 Then they said to him, ‘What should we do to you, to make the sea calm for us?’ For the sea grew more and more stormy.

Then they said to him, What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

12 He said to them, ‘Take me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me this fierce storm has overtaken you.’

And he said to them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea, so shall the sea be calm to you. For I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13 But instead the men rowed hard to get back to the land; they could not, however, for the sea grew more and more stormy ahead.

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get themselves back to the land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

14 So they cried to the Lord and said, ‘We beg you, Lord, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t let us be guilty of shedding innocent blood, for you are the Lord; you have done as it pleases you.’

Therefore they cried to Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood. For thou, O Jehovah, have done as it pleased thee.

15 And they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea became calm.

So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

16 Then the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice and made vows to him.

Then the men feared Jehovah exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to Jehovah, and made vows.

17 But the Lord arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

And Jehovah prepared a great sea creature to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the sea creature three days and three nights.