Jonah’s Disobedience
1 The word of the Lordcame 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 the Lord. 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 the Lord.
4 The Lordhurled 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 lightenitfor 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. Perhapsyourgod will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamityhas struckus.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose accounthasthis calamitystruckus? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LordGod 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 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 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 for you, for I know that on account of me this great stormhas comeupon you.”
13 However, the men roweddesperatelyto return to land but they could not, for the sea was becomingevenstormier against them.
14 Then they called on the Lordand 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 You, O Lord, 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 the Lordgreatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lordand made vows.
17 And the Lordappointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JON/1-4783141888a5969d72a3297adb4066fb.mp3?version_id=100—